


Narudar

by zapsalis_d



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, The Mandalorian (TV) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 44,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29337066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zapsalis_d/pseuds/zapsalis_d
Summary: You, an experienced bounty hunter working for the Bounty Hunter's Guild, have found it difficult to sustain yourself lately, requiring more and more credits after each hunt to be able to buy your basic needs. Yet with so many members of the Guild, high rewards were tough to find. Until you're given a bounty with the prize being something extremely valuable -- beskar.During your hunt, you bump into an old enemy you were just so tired of fighting. On your attempt to finally get rid of him once and for all, he found out a secret you wished he hadn't and now you don't have any other choice than to team up with him, whether you like it or not. The both of you thought it would be simple. Deliver the quarry, split the reward between the two, and hopefully never see each other again. Oh, how you were wrong.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	1. The Mandalorian

Dirt and sand, the only thing visible for miles and miles. It felt never-ending to you as you trekked across the dusty land on the back of a blurrg. Sweat trickled off the side of your forehead, and you wondered why anyone would even want to live on this desert planet. Changing from a planet with somewhat favorable temperatures such as Nevarro to this planet, Arvala-7, definitely took a toll on you. Nothing you couldn't handle, of course. Soon, you'd be off this planet and heading to Nevarro with the quarry and earning your much-needed reward.

"We are almost there," said the Ugnaught, who'd agreed to lead you to an encampment found on this planet while riding on the back of his domesticated beasts. With each passing second, the tracking fob you had obtained for this bounty seemed to beep even more in the pocket of your pants. At least you knew he was staying true to his words when he said he'd take you to the bounty. You just weren't sure what was in it for him.

You nodded at him in response, your eyes flickering forwards just in time to spot the Nikto encampment. You felt a relief wash over you seeing you finally reached your destination, but you knew there was still a fight left to win and take this quarry for your prize. "Thank you..." you paused, unsure if simply calling him Ugnaught would offend him.

"Kuiil."

"Kuiil," you repeated. "How can I repay you?"

He responded with a shake of his head, "You are already doing me a favor by bringing peace to my land. Thank you."

You gave him a smile, beginning to hop off of the blurrg, giving it a pat as a thanks for transportation. Never in your life had you ridden a blurrg, but you do have a faint memory from when you lived with your parents. They had a fathier which you would ride often times. That was years ago, and you barely remember what it was like to ride one. But there definitely was a difference between riding those two.

"I must inform you, though, that another bounty hunter came seeking the same prize as you earlier today," Kuiil stated, but you didn't acknowledge it at all. After all, every single hunter who came for this same bounty never returned alive. You were sure this one was no different. It was his last phrase which caught your attention, "A Mandalorian."

Your eyes immediately moved to Kuiil, and any sort of relief you felt completely faded away. "And you couldn't have told me this before?"

"What difference would that had made? You weren't going to give up anyway, were you?" Finally, he turned his Blurrg around, leaving with something you found he would often say, "I have spoken."

Turning your gaze back to the Nikto encampement, you sighed in frustration. If this Mandalorian is the same you were thinking of, then trouble was evident. You'd encountered a certain Mandalorian plenty of times while looking for the same bounty, and he was definitely one to not mess with. Each time, a fight broke out and while you were known to be experienced in combat, he proved to be quite an opponent.

Here it will be no different. Who would win the fight this time? Well, you were about to find out. Placing your hand on your hip, you made sure your weapon was in it's place. Maybe today would be the day this rivalry would end... it had to come to an end at some point. You were getting tired of bumping into him, and you were sure he was, too.

You continued on, boots crunching the dirt beneath you, your heart beginning to race as adrenaline took over. This was gonna be one hell of a battle, you were sure of it. If you weren't willing to give it up easily, you could imagine he wasn't going to either with such a high reward. After this, you were going to make sure you'd never have to see him again.

Once you reach the encampment, what you spot is a bunch of dead Nikto bodies scattered everywhere. Blaster shots through their heads or chest seemed to be what killed them. You were sure this was the work of the Mandalorian you so hated, and you found yourself sighing once again.

Your attention is turned to the building in front of you when you heard a blaster fire, followed by a thud. There's a large door, it was seemingly forced open to get inside. Your hand involuntarily found itself going to your weapon placed on your hip, but you knew you couldn't take that weapon out just yet. Only for special occasions... which is soon.

So you pull out your blaster from your holster instead, clicking the safety off as you made your way towards the open door. You stayed outside, pressing your back against the wall in case the Mandalorian came out, in which then you could surprise-attack him. Eventually, you peek inside to take a look, spotting the familiar backside of the Mandalorian, his cape flowing slightly as the wind blew inside the building. His helmet was facing down at something, you didn't know what. Perhaps the quarry?

Next to him was an IG droid, one specifically built for assassination. A hole was burned through it's head, you realized that was the shot you heard earlier. You bring your head back as your mind races to think of a plan. If you come from behind and attack him by surprise, you could easily defeat him that way.

Without any hesitation, you did just that. Your hand went to your weapon secured in it's place and brought it out into the open, feeling content to be wielding it after so long. With a press of a button, it ignites with the familiar sound which was like music to your ears. The lightsaber buzzed as you spun it around once before aiming to slice your opponent.

Only, you had forgotten beskar can withstand a lightsaber.

That's when everything went downhill. The Mandalorian had turned around quick enough to stop your saber with his vambraces, and you cursed under your breath. How could you have forgotten something as important as that? Regret immediately took over you, but there was no turning back now.

Hr must've noticed you were so obviously taken aback by this, so he took advantage to shove you onto the ground, your lightsaber slipping out of your hands from the force of his push. You went for your blaster on your holster, aiming at the Mandalorian as he did the same to you. Although if you blasted, you wouldn't resolve anything as it would just hit beskar. You had armor plating your chest as well to protect from most attacks to the heart but he could easily shoot you through the head instead.

"I didn't know you were a Jedi," his low, modulated voice rung through your ears. He almost sounded dumbfounded but you weren't sure if it was because you'd really surprised him with the attack, or that you were a supposed 'Jedi.' Which you weren't. You denounced that title ages ago.

"I'm not a Jedi," you growled, shooting him a glare. He tilted his helmet, as if waiting for you to give him an explanation. You only stayed silent, refusing to do so.

A crackle from his voice modulator was heard as he sighed. "We're obviously after the same bounty," he coincided. "So why don't we both bring it in?" He began lowering his blaster, slowly, waiting for you to do the same before he placed it back in his holster.

You raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised at his offer. He was tired of fighting, not just because he just had to fight a bunch of Niktos to get in here, but also tired of fighting you. Especially now, knowing you're a Jedi... or whatever you are. Perhaps it would be best to become allies for now? "Only if we split the payment in half," you told him as you stood back up, grabbing your fallen lightsaber as you did. You kept it in your hand, and you could tell the Mandalorian began feeling uneasy, placing his gloved hand on his blaster. That's when you placed your lightsaber back in its place on your hip and he visibly relaxed.

He was quiet as he thought about it, the T of his visor looking around until his gaze went back to you. "I did most of the work here -- if not, all -- so don't you think I should get a little more than half?"

You clenched your jaw, realizing he was right, but that didn't mean you were going to back down. Your eyes then went to what seemed like a floating crib, and you began to take a few steps closer to see what it contained. "Is that the quarry?" you asked, but before you could get any closer, the Mandalorian came between you and the crib.

"Do we have a deal or not?" he sounded more urgent this time as he waited for your answer.

Fighting back the urge to roll your eyes, you responded, "How much more than half are you thinking on taking?"

"At least 70%."

"No," you immediately declined. Sure, taking the 30% would still leave you with plenty to last but you weren't going to give up too easily. You shove him aside to see inside the carrier. Clearly, he didn't like that and he went to push you away from it again until you said, "60%."

You peered inside the pram only to spot... a child? A small, green, wrinkly child, his big eyes watching you. This couldn't be the quarry, could it? Why would they put a bounty on something so defenseless? You noticed he looked very familiar... you realized he was the same species as your old Jedi master, Yoda. Now your mind went back to your teenage years as a Jedi back in fhe Clone Wars, fond memories crossed your mind as well as memories you wished to forget. You let a soft smile escape from your lips as the baby cooed at you.

"65%," the Mandalorian said as he remained closely behind you, in case you were to harm the bounty. "No lower."

Sighing, you closed your eyes, your hand hovering over your blaster. You wanted the whole bounty to yourself, but you knew you would either have to leave or split the payment in half... you didn't want to do either.

The blaster came out of your holster in less than a second, and soon you aimed a blast in between his cuirass and pauldron. You knew you hit skin when he grunted and placed a hand where blood began dripping out, staining the fabric of his clothes. This was a stupid, stupid idea... why couldn't you have just gone with the deal? You really needed to think things through before acting, and you knew that.

You grabbed your lightsaber just as he pulled out his blaster and fired at you, which you deflected with your weapon. You fired your blaster at him but you kept hitting beskar instead. Now he began taking steps closer to you, raising his vambrace at you as fire roared from it. You backed up before the fire could burn your skin, although you still felt the sting from the sudden heat.

Now you took your turn, launching towards him with your lightsaber and aiming to slice at the exposed fabric without armor, his throat. But your lightsaber hit one of his vambraces again as he protected himself. Kicking him back with your foot caused him to stumble back, but he was strong and remained standing. You felt something wrap around your arm, and you realized he used his other vambrace to shoot a wire around your wrist, which you quickly snapped in half with your lightsaber.

Luckily for him, that distracted you and he successfully shot you in the thigh. You cursed loudly, your weight shifting to the right leg as pain took over your left one. Your vision clouded due to the pain as you looked down at your wound before feeling a strong hand on your chest push you to the ground. Looking up, you see the barrel of a blaster aimed straight for your head. You went to get your lightsaber to protect yourself but you realized it wasn't in your hand anymore as it was pushed aside by his boot.

Once again, you were defeated by the Mandalorian.

"You done?" He asked, and you could hear a slight crackle in his modulator as he tried to bite back the pain from being his blaster wound.

You grimaced, "Is it too late to take up that offer?"

He hesitated for a moment, and you didn't blame him. "I don't have a reason to trust you."

"Understandable," you agreed with a shrug. Opening your mouth to say something more, you were interrupted as he reached for the blaster in your holster. "Wha— hey!"

Despite having taken away both your weapons, he still held his aimed at your head. "If I'm going to trust you, I'm gonna have to take away your weapons," the Mandalorian stated, and you were surprised he was actually letting you accept the offer even after what you'd just done. "Anything else on you?"

"No," you lied, but of course he wouldn't believe you. You hid a knife in your boot but you were sure he wouldn't find it.

"Stand up," he told you. You winced as you stood and accidentally put too much weight on your wounded leg. The Mandalorian began patting you down as he checked for any extra weapons you could have and you were glad when he backed up without any luck of finding the hidden knife. Until he crouched down, checking your boots and immediately spotting the blade.

"What— how did you even know that was there?" you asked as you gave him a glare and crossed your arms.

"Because I hide my knife in the same place," he responded, putting away the three of your weapons and walking over to the quarry, his big, bright eyes watching the both of you intently.

You limped — and you tried not to but it was nearly impossible — towards the quarry as well. "I was told it was 50-years-old, not a baby."

"Species age differs," the Mandalorian said, and you remember your old master who was hundreds of years old. It made more sense now. You just weren't sure why it was that there was a bounty on this baby, and for such a handsome reward as well. The Mandalorian turned his helmet to face you, looking down at your bleeding leg. "I have a med kit in the ship but we won't reach it until tomorrow."

"I'll be fine," you simply said, and he could easily tell your frustration towards him, especially since he was the one who caused the damage. He chose not to say anything and beckoned you to follow him as he pressed a button on his vambrace which commanded the floating pram to follow him.

You sighed as you proceeded to follow him as well. This had better be worth it. To team up with an enemy and split the payment — not to mention it wasn't evenly split — was not how you expected this to go. But after you leave the bounty and get your reward, you two would party ways and, hopefully, never see each other again.


	2. The Survivor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that you've teamed up with the Mandalorian, you confront difficulties heading back to Nevarro.

Dusk had fallen, though you still hadn't reached the ship, as predicted. Eventually, you and the Mandalorian had to stop and camp for a short rest since the both of you were exhausted. Earlier during the day, you had been ambushed by Trandoshans, and the encounter would've been a whole lot easier if the Mandalorian had bothered to at least give you your blaster, but he refused. Luckily, you had your fists but your leg injury made it difficult to dodge attacks.

You had escaped with only a bruise on your cheek but the Mandalorian had obtained yet another wound, this time a slice on the side of his arm. He did bring a cauterization pen to help stop the bleeding to wounds the both of you had. Throwing the pen towards where you sat in front of the fire across from him, you caught it with your hands. You were surprised he let you use it before him, but you immediately began putting it to use. Meanwhile, the Mandalorian fixed his damaged cuirass made of beskar.

The fabric of your pants were soaked with blood, which only explained why you were feeling a bit light-headed. The wound had already started clotting but you were still losing blood. Pulling on the fabric of your pants to expose your injury a little more, you began using the cauterization pen. The heat didn't help it feel better whatsoever, and you couldn't help but wince each time the pen came into contact with the wound.

The Mandalorian, you found, was not a talkative person. He remained silent for a long period of time, and you didn't mind that. It's not like you wanted to talk to him anyways.

"So you stole the lightsaber?" he finally spoke up, which surprised you.

"No," you replied, letting out a grunt as you worked on your wound before speaking again. "I earned it."

There was a silence for a moment until he spoke again, and you could tell he was confused. "So? Are you a Jedi or not?"

You sighed. "No, I'm not," you kept your eyes on your injury as you talked. "I was one a long time ago. Not anymore."

The Mandalorian obviously wanted to know more but he chose to stay silent, leaving the questions for a better time. You were glad he didn't ask anymore questions as you were sure you weren't gonna answer them, you had no reason to answer him.

You spot something from the corner of your eye moving, and you quickly turn to the defensive only for it to be the quarry to have gotten out of its carrier and made its way towards you. You sigh a breath of relief, then watching as the Mandalorian got up from his spot on the ground to put the child back inside it's crib. You could tell he was hurting as he picked it up and sat back down in his spot afterwards, so you found yourself trying to finish cauterizing a bit quicker.

Successfully stopping the bleeding, you feel relieved to have finally finished as you toss the cauterization pen over to the Mandalorian and he started using it immediately. Silence then took over, and the only thing you could hear was the fire in front of you crackling and the zapping sound of the cauterization pen. You turned your gaze to the bounty in side it's floating crib, its big brown eyes looking at you. Your mind went back to wondering why they wanted it but nothing came to mind.

You caught the quarry hopping out of its carrier yet again. This time, you stood and and picked it up in your hands -- you swore you felt something familiar about it but you had no clue as to what it was. Placing it back where it belonged, you closed the pram with a push of a button so it wouldn't attempt to leave its place again. Then you took a seat back down in your spot.

Your eyes then flickered back to the Mandalorian, who's visor was facing the cut on his arm as he cauterized it. "So?" you waited for the T of his visor to face you, and when he did you continued. "What do I call you?"

"Mando is fine," he simply stated before returning his attention to his wound.

"Oh come on, what's your real name?" you questioned, but you only got silence in return. Only knowing him for a short amount of time you already knew he must be a pain to have a conversation with.

"What's your name?" he asked instead, dodging your question.

"If you're not telling me your name why should I tell you mine?" you narrowed your eyes at him when he looked back up at you, shaking his head before returning to work with the cauterization pen.

Your eyes began to feel droopy as exhaustion took over, though you refused to fall asleep. Not right next to your enemy -- or temporary ally -- who could easily kill you in your sleep if he wanted to. So you laid down next to the fire, one of your hands behind your head acting as a pillow. Your eyes looked up at the dark night sky and the beautiful stars ahead of you. You couldn't wait to get off this planet, head back to Nevarro with the quarry and earn your reward. Although, you were feeling a bit skeptical about giving a child to them, unknowing of what they were even going to do to it. But... you needed the credits, to stay alive.

"Get some sleep," Mando told you when he noticed you weren't closing your eyes. You turned your gaze to him, shaking your head at him, noticing he'd just finished cauterizing his wounds. "Fine." He then mimicked you, laying down so his body faced up, his visor looking the stars up ahead. "If you won't rest, I will."

You weren't sure if he was actually going to sleep, since you couldn't see his eyes under the helmet. Perhaps he was keeping his eyes open, in case you decided to take your weapons back and finally finish him in his sleep. But that was the last thing you wanted to do... at least, right now. You were tired, and just wanted to rest, no more fighting.

A little sleep wouldn't hurt... you thought as your eyes began to involuntarily close, and you could only hope Mando didn't try anything while you were asleep. You drifted off soon after closing your eyes, slipping into a dreamless sleep as you restored your energy.

After some time, Mando turned his head to see you fast asleep. There was no way he was going to sleep right now, partly because he didn't trust you and partly because this was an unknown planet. There could be numerous dangerous creatures lurking around, and not to mention bounty hunters searching for the same bounty. So he chose to stay alert the entire time, occasionally going over to check the child to see if it was well and alive as it slept peacefully in its floating carrier. He knew if the quarry was delivered dead, that would mean less of a payment. Not to mention he had to split it with you, so that would lessen it even more.

At one point the fire had died out in the middle of the night, leaving the three of you in the cold. It was fine for some time, but after a while he noticed your body trembling in the cold of the night. He contemplated on whether or not he should look for some more firewood to revive the fire, though he knew he couldn't trust you. You could wake up when he's gone and take the quarry for yourself, leaving him behind with no reward. Instead, Mando decided to take off his cape, quietly placing it over your shivering body to keep you warm. He wasn't sure what made him feel the need to keep you warm, it just felt like the right thing to do he thought. Then he went and closed the child's carrier to keep its warmth inside, before sitting back down in his spot.

Dawn finally came and Mando chose to wake you up, gently nudging you with his boot as you then stir awake from your sleep. Your eyes flickered open to meet with his dark visor. Sitting up from your previous position, you noticed a blanket wrapped around your form. You didn't remember having a blanket before falling asleep... you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

"My cape," Mando gestured towards the blanket you held, and you looked down at it, realizing he gave you his cape while you slept. Your eyes moved to face his visor again before you stood up, handing him his cape.

"You gave me your cape?" you asked, wondering why he'd do such an act, like he actually cared whether you were comfortable or not. As if. Brushing off the dirt and dust from your clothes, you looked at your injury. It felt better already, but it still caused you pain if you stretched it too much.

He nodded, placing his cape in position over his neck, "You were shivering."

Well, that was... sweet.

Wait, no, he couldn't be sweet. He was a Mandalorian, he didn't care for others, he didn't have feelings. The only thing on his mind is bounty hunting, and killing mercilessly if he had to. While you didn't know much about Mandalorians, you knew they were like this, and Mando was no different from the others.

Shaking the thoughts out of your head, you stayed silent as you then went to check on the quarry. You pressed on the button to open up the carrier, for it to reveal the little green child staring up at you, already wide awake. You couldn't help but smile at it, bringing your finger to boop its nose. It cooed and let out a small giggle which made you practically melt at it.

You turned your gaze to notice Mando who stood a few feet away, watching your little interaction with the child. "We should go now," he said now that he had your attention, taking a few steps towards you to stand in front of you.

You stared at his visor for a moment before you spoke. "Thank you," you said, and he knew exactly what you were thanking him for. He gave you a nod before turning to walk, which you followed closely behind. 

Soon after, the Mandalorian's ship comes into view, the Razor Crest, you recognized. A classic. You thought you'd be relieved at the sight of it, but when you spotted the Jawas stripping apart the ship you felt anything but relief. Mando beckoned you to crouch down next to him to hide from view as he took his pulse rifle and began firing at the Jawas. He managed to disintegrate a few which sent them retreating to their giant sandcrawler, shouting in panic as they tried to get to safety and away from whoever was shooting at them.

"Give me my blaster, I can help," you told him, only for him to refuse as he continued shooting at the thieves. "Come on, Mando!"

He only stood up from his spot, racing to catch the Jawas as they fled into the sandcrawler along with the ship's stolen parts. You attempted to catch up with him but your leg prevented you in doing so. You were afraid it may agitate the wound and you'll end up having to cauterize it again if it began bleeding.

The quarry's crib followed Mando as he tried to board the sandcrawler; you attempted to stop it but it continued anyway. Seeing as you would be no use over there, you made your way to the ship to see how badly it was damaged. Just as you thought: it was dreadfully damaged. There were too many missing pieces to it that you highly doubted the ship would start up at all. While you'd never been in the ship before it was robbed, you knew it was missing plenty of stuff.

Spotting a ladder, you climbed it for it to lead you to the cockpit. Here there were a bunch of wires hanging overhead and it just didn't seem like the ship was in any condition to fly. You attempted to start it up nyway, knowing the basics to starting up and flying a ship since you'd been trained to in the past. Immediately, you failed when you saw the thrusters wouldn't even activate. You knew that you and Mando would have to get the parts back somehow, or else the two of you would be stuck on this dusty planet for who knows how long.

Ahead, you spotted Mando heading back towards the Razor Crest with no luck in bringing back the ship's stolen parts, and by his body language he was fuming with anger. The floating carrier followed him closely as he returned to the ship. You climbed down the ladder and met him as soon as he entered the ship. "Maybe if you had given me a weapon, we'd be heading back with the ship's parts right about now," you argued, shooting him a glare he's seen so many times.

"I'd rather not take any chances," he retorted as he opened up what seemed to have held his weapons, only slamming it shut when he found none of them were found.

You sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of your nose with your fingers. You saw Mando heading up to the cockpit, but you told him you had already tried starting the ship up already with no luck. "What are we supposed to do now?" you asked him, and he stayed silent as he thought of his options.

If only you had a ship, you would be heading off this dust ball and going to Nevarro already. You had never bought your own ship, only borrowing them or buying transportation from somebody else, which is what you did to get to this planet. Having to maintain your own ship would only mean wasting more credits, and that was the last thing you needed right now.

"I take it you met the Ugnaught if you were able to get to the encampment, right?" Mando asked, to which you nodded in response. "He's our best chance, so we'll head over there."

You felt even more frustrating learning you'd have to walk even more than you already have, but there was no other choice. For a moment you wished you had a floating carrier like the child did so it could take you places without having to walk so much. You let out a sigh once again as you and the Mandalorian left the ship towards Kuiil's moisture farm, the child trailing behind the two of you.

The entire walk was spent in silence, only the sound of your boots crunching and the quarry babbling in its pram. When you finally spotted Kuiil's residence in the distance, you breathed yet another sigh of relief. If it were under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have any problem with walking so much. But with every step you took you were in pain, and you just wanted the walking to end already.

"I thought you were dead," said Kuiil as you guys arrived to his farm, directing it to Mando. He then looked at you, "I did not expect the two of you to team up."

"Yeah, me neither until he shot me in the fricking leg and I had no other choice," you sad in a rather harsh tone, and he tilted his helmet at you in frustration.

"Only because you shot me," he gestured to his wound between his pauldron and cuirass. It had already begun healing, but the fabric surrounding it was stained with dried blood. "I tried to make peaceful negotiations with you."

"You were only giving me 30%!" you argued, taking a step closer to him and giving him a menacing look. You couldn't see his face but you were sure he was glaring right back at you beneath the visor.

You were beginning to lose your temper and lash out but Kuiil stopped your bickering with Mando, "Alright, stop." Both you and Mando turned to look at the Ugnaught. "Stop it with the arguing. I have got a med kit packed somewhere to help heal your wounds," his attention then turned to the child who had hopped out of his carrier without you guys noticing. "This is what was causing all the fuss?"

"I think it's a child," Mando stated, and you give him a 'you don't say' look.

"It is better to deliver it alive, then," said the Ugnaught.

"My ship has been destroyed," the Mandalorian voiced. "We're trapped here."

"Stripped, not destroyed. The Jawas steal, they don't destroy."

"Stolen or destroyed; makes no difference to me."

You watch as the child chased around a frog it found to entertain itself, and you couldn't help but think about whether this was one of the first times it was able to be out like this. Did it have a life before or was it always hidden in the pram? Are it's parents still alive? Perhaps it was taken away from its parents at a young age. Poor thing.

"They're protected by their crawling fortress," Mando continued. "There is no way to recover the parts."

"You can trade," Kuiil suggested.

You raised an eyebrow at him, knowing trading with Jawas would be a disaster. Mando voiced your exact concerns, "With Jawas? Are you out of your mind?"

"I will take you to them," said Kuiil. "I have spoken."

You spot the child then devouring the exact frog he was chasing, and you hurry over to stop him from swallowing it but it was much too late. You sigh, picking it up and placing it back in hits pram, "Poor little guy. Are you hungry?" It only responded with a coo, and you made sure to feed him before traveling over to the Jawas with Kuiil.

It took an entire rainy night to reach the Jawas' location, and you were glad to have slept the previous night just fine. Mando on the other hand, was still exhausted and sleep-deprived. He found himself drifting off involuntarily on the sled in which Kuiil's blurrg pulled. You lay across from him, wondering if he really was asleep or if he had his eyes open beneath the visor. It was only when you began hearing soft snores coming from his modulator when you realized he really was asleep.

When Mando awoke, it was morning already and he noticed you fast asleep as well. He woke just in time too, since they were approaching the Jawas' sandcrawler. Kuiil waved at the Jawas from atop his blurrg, shouting greetings at them. "They really don't like you for some reason," he told the Mandalorian.

"Well, I did disintegrate a few of them," Mando acknowledged.

"You need to drop your rifle," Kuiil stated.

The Mandalorian looked down at his rifle, and he hadn't realized he had been holding onto it. "I'm a Mandalorian. Weapons are a part of my religion."

"Then you're not getting your parts back," Kuiil retorted.

Mando let out a sigh, dropping his weapon on the sled. "Fine."

Kuiil dismounted his blurrg while Mando hopped off the sled, holding onto his blaster, only for Kuiil to tell him to drop the blaster as well. He does just so before sitting down to, hopefully, negotiate with the Jawas, which seemed like an impossible task.

After Kuiil spoke to the Jawas, he turned to Mando, saying, "They will trade all the parts for the beskar."

Mando felt his blood boil at the thought of trading his beskar for his own belongings. "I'm not gonna trade anything," he growled. "These are my parts, they stole them from me." He began speaking to them in Jawaese, but he was painfully inexperienced in the language. The Jawas began making fun of how he spoke, and that was the last straw. "You understand this?!" He raises his vambrace, activating his flamethrower at the Jawas.

"No, woah! Easy, easy," he beckoned the Mandalorian to calm down, the fire then fading away as he lowered his fist. The Ugnaught continued speaking to the Jawas in their language in hopes of finding something else to trade. "He is Mandalorian. He cannot give you his beskar armor. What else may he trade?"

The Jawas speak between each other for a moment, and eventually one of them points at the sled to the child. There were a couple of Jawas inspecting the child, you were still sleeping and unaware of them. "Get away from them!" Mando yelled, causing the two Jawas to dash off in fear.

"There must be something else," Kuiil said, the Jawas then beginning to speak among each other.

Finally, they say something about... an egg. "We will require The Egg. Bring us The Egg."

Kuiil facepalms. "The Egg? What Egg?" Mando asked. The Jawas began to chant 'The Egg' over and over again, and Mando realized he had no other choice than to go with it.

You awoke with a gloved hand nudging your shoulder to wake you up. You opened your eyes to meet with Mando's visor, blinking a few times to clear your vision. "Wake up," said his modulated voice, "we're gonna find an egg."


	3. The Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In your attempt to retrieve The Egg for the Jawas, you discover something intriguing about The Child.

Certainly, you were puzzled waking to Mando informing you about finding an egg. At first, you thought it was just your mind messing with you as you stirred from your sleep, it just didn't make any sense to you. "An egg?" you questioned as you climbed out of the sled, "Why the hell are we getting an egg?"

Chanting caught your attention, your gaze moving passed Mando's helmet to see that you'd reached the Jawas and their sandcrawler. They were shouting something between each other, you weren't certain what as you never learned to speak Jawaese. "The only way to get my parts back is to get The Egg for them," he stated. "It was either that, give them my beskar armor or..." his visor turned to the green child in its pram, "the child."

"Wouldn't giving them your beskar be so much easier?" you asked, and he tilted his helmet at you. "I'm kidding!" you allowed a smile escape from your mouth as you chuckled, Mando shaking his head at you. When you looked back at him, you noticed his visor still trained on you, and your smile dropped. "What?"

"Nothing." Just that that's the first time I've seen your smile, was what he wanted to say but those words remained unspoken. His helmet instantly moved to face the Jawas' sandcrawler instead, and he beckoned you to follow him as he pressed a button on his vambrace for the Child's pram to trail behind the two of you.

Wow. You were now entering a sandcrawler. This was definitely not how you thought this little bounty hunt would go.

Originally, you were supposed to take the bounty, get off the planet and head off to Nevarro to deliver it, then receiving your reward of beskar ingots. That's not at all what happened. First, you temporarily team up with someone you never thought you would. He took away your weapons and had you pinned down, yet he let you live and join him. Then, you're stranded on this dusty planet with no possible transportation off it and you have to negotiate with Jawas which is absurd. Now you have to find an egg. You wondered what was up next for you, and how retrieving this egg would go. Why couldn't the Jawas get the egg themselves? Most likely it was guarded by something.

It didn't take long to get to your destination on the sandcrawler, but you were glad it was a short trip. The Jawas were really testing yours and Mando's patience; at one point you just about had it but Mando stopped you before you did anything to them, placing a hand on your shoulder. He noticed you immediately tense up at the touch, so he brought his hand back. "Let's not make things worse than they already are," he had said, you agreed and this time tried to keep your bad temper in check, as much as you would like to shoot a blaster through each and every one of the Jawas heads. That's brutal but at least you'd get the ship's parts back, right?

"You can stay here," Mando told you once you had all left the sandcrawler. "I'll be quick."

You shook your head, "I'm going." If it were yesterday, you would've been fine with staying; you were exhausted. But today you were feeling much better, having used the med kit Kuiil had given you before journeying towards the Jawas. A bacta patch was placed over your wound and already starting to feel much better than the previous day. Mando knew there was no convincing you otherwise so he allowed you to accompany him, the Child's carrier following closely.

Eventually, you came upon a muddy landscape with a cave just up ahead. Presumably, that's where The Egg should be, but you felt a pit in your stomach knowing one of you was gonna have to go in there, without knowing what, exactly, was in there. "I don't know about this," you voiced your concern, and Mando nodded.

"We don't have much of a choice."

"I'll stay here with the Child," you suggested. "Someone needs to watch it."

"No," he refused, shaking his head at you.

You rolled your eyes, "Mando, I'm not gonna leave with the quarry."

"I can't trust you."

"The last thing I want to do right now is have to fight you again," you argued, crossing your arms. "I just want to get on with it already, leave this planet and head to Nevarro as soon as I can."

He let out a sigh, examining your face and body language for any signs of deception. When he couldn't find any clues as to whether you were lying or not, he finally spoke, "You promise you won't try anything?"

You nodded at him, "Yes, I promise."

The Mandalorian clearly didn't recognize you too well, he had no idea whether you were a good liar or not. You could be lying to him right now and he'd have no clue; he could only hope that wasn't the case.

"Fine." Finally, he left and head towards the cave, watching as he disappeared into the darkness. You turned your attention to the Child's floating pram next to you, its big eyes watching the cave intently. Not long after, firing from Mando's blaster was heard, the quarry's long ears perking up and your gaze instantly snapped back to the cave. Your eyes widened when soon after, Mando was thrown out of the cave, the mud splashing around him as he landed with a thud.

Dashing towards him, you crouched down next to him to see if he was alright, and you noticed his cuirass was damaged once again. It was bent in awkward ways and you knew if this weren't beskar, he'd be dead right about now. "What happened?" you asked. He remained quiet as he took a moment to regain his breath, your eyes moved to the cave again when you heard a sound from inside. You felt a pit in your stomach when you saw what you recognized as a Mudhorn emerge from the darkness of the cavity. "Give me my blaster," you told him, but he ignored you. You groaned internally, why is he so damn stubborn?

Mando pulled out his pulse rifle and aimed it towards the Mudhorn, who's eyes were trained right at the both of you. It roared as it charged towards you, only for Mando's rifle appear to be stuck, unable to fire. It must've gotten damaged from the fall, you thought. Great, just what you needed. You urged him to give you your blaster once again but instead you received a harsh shove which sent you tumbling into the wet mud. At first, you thought he was annoyed with you but realized he was getting you out of the Mudhorn's path.

The Mandalorian groaned as he was flung back yet again by the Mudhorn's large horn, roughly hitting the ground, his pulse rifle flying out of his grasp. The Child quietly watched in it's floating pram, despite its silence it grabbed the attention of the beast as it growled and launched towards the carrier. Luckily, Mando had connected his vambrace to the pram and was able to bring the Child out of harm's way with a press of a button.

The Mudhorn crashed into the rock ahead of it, and when it turned around again its attention was on you. Mando called your name, catching your attention as he threw you your blaster from a distance. It landed in the mud and you quickly picked it up, feeling relieved to have it back in your hands, just in time as the Mudhorn rushed towards you. You fired multiple times, but it didn't seem to do any effect since its skin was much too thick. Your stomach churned when you saw its close proximity, the only way to defend yourself was to shoot at it. One shot caught it right in the eye, and it roared in pain as it closed its damaged eye shut. Though that didn't stop it either, and within seconds its large horn collided with you.

Luckily, you had a chestplate though that didn't stop it from being a painful blow. You were lucky it hadn't hit you from the tip of its horn, or else you'd be pretty much impaled and dead right now. You flew from the collision, collapsing onto the mud once again, only a rock impacted your head this time. Vision blurring, ears ringing loudly, the breath taken out of your lungs, you were sure you were concussed now. The modulated voice of Mando shouting something you couldn't understand filled your ears but you couldn't find the strength to stand let alone lift your head.

The beast's attention was still on you, and Mando had to act fast before you were trampled to death. He raised his arm, aiming his vambrace towards the creature as his grappling hook shot out of it, catching the creature's horn. Now that caught its attention, and it whirled around to try to detach the wire from itself but it remained attached the entire time. It began sprinting instead, dragging Mando along in the mud though he wouldn't dare let go, or else it would head back to you or the Child. The wire eventually snapped, then the Mudhorn's gaze was directed at him.

He got tossed vigorously a third time, this time too rough. His back hit the mud and he groaned as his vision began to blur, he found himself laying there without any strength to sit up. The Child's ears flattened, now worried as it saw both of its protectors laying on the ground, beat up and covered in mud. The Mandalorian found a bit of strength once his vision cleared up and so he sat up from his laying position. Much to Mando's dismay, the Mudhorn was still willing to attack and kill all three of you in order to protect The Egg. The only thing Mando could do was unsheathe his vibroblade as a last ditch effort, the beast now charging at him once again. He didn't want it to end like this, he knew he should've left you and the Child behind as he left to retrieve The Egg. It was too late now...

You had regained consciousness just in time, but your heart plummeted at the sight of Mando on the muddy ground, vulnerable to the large beast ahead of him. You sat up and opened your mouth to shout out his name but your brain was pounding in your head and you didn't have the energy to do so. Your eyes moved to see your blaster laying in the mud, and you tried to reach it so maybe you could distract the Mudhorn from killing Mando. But your head — it was killing you — and you found yourself groaning in pain, grasping your head with your hands as if it could stop the pain.

But then... the heavy footsteps of the Mudhorn ceased. Slowly, you lifted your head up to see the beast was... floating in midair. You looked at the Child in its pram and noticed his little three-fingered hand raised at the Mudhorn, his eyes closed as if it was concentrating. The beast struggled and roared as it tried to get back to the ground, and in a split second Mando stabbed it with his vibroblade, killing it on the spot.

You were still so, so confused... you weren't even sure if you had seen that right. Did the Child just use the Force? Was it just your mind playing with you because you were so heavily concussed? Did you really hit your head that hard?

After Mando yanked the vibroblade off the Mudhorn's dead body, he went over to check on you, aiding you to stand up. By now your vision cleared up a bit more but not entirely, and the ringing to your ears fortunately halted. You leaned your weight on him as he kept you standing; without him you wouldn't be up like this at all. "That doesn't look too good..." he observed as soon as he noticed the back of your head. Your hair was matted with blood, and when you looked down at your hands you spotted the red ooze from when you had grasped your head. "We need to get that taken care of."

The only thing you could do was nod, unable to find any words to say. You wanted to tell him how the Child had just used the kriffing Force but your head was still thumping painfully and speaking would only make you feel worse.

After picking up his fallen rifle with you still leaning on him, he went to check on the Child. Its eyes were closed as it was fast asleep, he had seen when it collapsed in its pram right after it did whatever it had done to the Mudhorn. It was as if it had drained all of its energy. Now it started making a little more sense as to why there was such a high bounty on this little green child but there were still some questions left unanswered.

Suddenly, you went completely limp on him, catching him off-guard. He couldn't help but feel worried now that you'd passed out, and he had to set you up with your back against a rock to see if you were alright. He took off one glove and brought his bare hand to your wrist, letting out a short sigh of relief to feel your pulse was just fine. So after he put his glove back on, he went to retrieve The Egg.

When he returned, furry egg in hand, he was glad to see you conscious again, but you still weren't looking too good. He gently lifted you up on your feet again, allowing you to lean on him. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah," you managed to breath out, and the both of you began to take slow steps towards the Jawas. Luckily, the sandcrawler wasn't too far away and he had caught the Jawas just in time as they had lost their patience, but once they caught sight of the muddied Mandalorian they rejoiced and instantly went for The Egg.

Immediately, they popped the egg open with a knife and dug in, cheering as they ate the slimy yellow yolk. Mando shook his head at them, he couldn't believe he went through all that just for them to eat it. He expected for them to hatch it, sell it or something.

"I'm surprised you waited," Mando commented as he assisted you back down onto the sled.

"I'm surprised you took so long," Kuiil remarked, casting a concerning look towards you. "Is she alright?"

"She has a concussion," Mando stated. "The Jawas should have my med pack."

"I'll be fine," you said as you manage a weak smile. Though when you spoke your head ached even more, causing you to whimper quietly. You hoped they hadn't heard it; even if they hadn't, they were convinced you weren't doing so well right now.

After loading up the Razor Crest's missing parts and Mando's belongings onto the sled, you guys head back towards the ship and you were glad to finally be getting off this planet. You just hoped nothing wrong would happen anymore and that the ship could be fixed just fine.

Mando had insisted he helped clean your injury on the sled, and you knew that would be best since you couldn't see it. He sat next to you, med kit in hand as he then opened it and grabbed a bottle which held a disinfectant liquid inside. Before using it, he made sure to clean the most blood he could with a rag but most of it was stuck and dried onto your hair. You couldn't wait to shower after this.

Afterwards, he poured a couple of drips of the liquid in the bottle on the wound, and it was already starting to look better. "How do you feel?" he questioned just as he finished up.

"Better," you replied. Your vision had returned to normal and with each second your headache reduced. You were sore, of course, being thrown around by the Mudhorn definitely took a toll on you, but that would recede eventually. You looked up to Mando, your eyes meeting the T of his muddy visor. "What about you?"

"Me?" there was confusion in his tone, as if he was surprised you asked him how he was. You had to admit, you were surprised as well. But after everything he'd done for you now, the least you could do was ask how he was feeling, and maybe you could help if he had obtained any injuries as well.

You nodded, "How badly did you get hurt?" He was thrown twice as much as you, after all.

"I'm fine," he replied, and he looked down at his severely damaged cuirass which he'd have to fix soon. "The beskar held up."

Your mind wondered back to what you had previously seen, how the Child had used the Force. You turned your gaze to the floating pram which followed along with the sled, spotting the Child inside. It was still asleep, and you knew it had reason to be asleep for so long, since its energy was practically drained from him.

"I think I understand a little more why there was such a high bounty on the kid," you gestured over to the carrier. Mando kept his visor on you as he waited for you to explain. "He's very strong in The Force... that must be why they want it so bad."

Mando stayed quiet as he took in the information for a moment. "I thought The Force didn't exist," he finally spoke up.

You shook your head, "No, it's very real." Your mind went back to your past, to when you were only a teenager living during the Clone Wars and becoming a fully-trained Jedi Knight. There were hardships of course, those times were not easy, though you had great memories shared with others as well. You tried not to think of what happened to your master and your closest friends after the Clone Wars ended and Order 66 took place... you had no idea if they were still alive, and each time you thought them your heart felt heavy.

"How come you don't use The Force?" Mando questioned, interrupting your reminiscing. You feared he'd ask that question, but you knew it would come eventually. Every Jedi uses the Force, so why don't you?

You hesitated before answering, "I chose to refrain from using it." 

There was a silence that took over then. Mando was still confused about all this, he never knew much about Jedi and the Force, so he still had tons of questions. Though you didn't seem to want to talk about it from your saddened expression and short response, and he wondered what sorts of memories you had from being a Jedi, whether they were good or bad.

The entire rest of the ride back to the ship was quiet as neither of you spoke up again. It was dark already when you got there, and when the three of you made your way to the ship, you noticed this was going to take quite some time to fix. "There is no way we're gonna get this to work without a full maintenance facility," Mando voiced your exact concerns. "This is gonna take days to fix."

"If you care to help it might go faster," Kuiil said. "There is much work to do."

Despite you and Mando barely having any energy left from your... exciting day, you spent the entire night fixing up the ship. You weren't an expert at fixing ships but whenever you had trouble on something, either Mando or Kuiil would help out and explain whatever it was you had to do. Sometimes you would have to stop for a moment as you would get dizzy, the effects of your concussion still present. But soon after you'd return back to work. Meanwhile, the Child slept in its pram peacefully as it restored its lost energy.

It wasn't until the next day that you had finally finished fixing up the ship, and it was all ready to go. You felt relieved to finally be heading to Nevarro now with the bounty, and that soon you'd be getting your much needed reward. This had probably been one of the worst bounty hunts you'd ever had, and you hoped you wouldn't have to form an alliance with the Mandalorian again. You'd prefer a quick fight and whoever won took the bounty, receiving the entire prize.

As Kuiil and Mando spoke on the ship's ramp, you peered into the Child's pram, and weren't surprised when you saw it was still sleeping. You couldn't help but feel even more skeptical than you were before, having no idea what they were going to do to it. You knew it was none of your business, and that it was the Code of the Guild that there were no questions asked, just deliver the bounty and get your reward. But this is a child, and you'd definitely feel guilty if you gave them it only for them to hurt it in someway, if that was what they were going to do. You weren't even sure.

You heard the ship's ramp closing up, and you turned to face Mando who went straight to the ladder which led to the cockpit. "You can use the washroom to clean up if you want," he told you as he climbed.

Looking down at your body, you realized you were still covered in mud and grime, dried blood smeared on your hands from your head injury as well as dark splotches of oil and grime mixed together from fixing the ship. You thought a little wash-up couldn't hurt, so as you felt the ship start up and take off, you entered the washroom to clean yourself up as you finally head back to Nevarro.

Though that didn't mean everything would return to normal once you returned to Nevarro.


	4. The Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that you and the Mandalorian are finally heading back to Nevarro with the quarry, you begin having second thoughts about whether or not delivering a baby to the client was the right thing to do.

After having cleaned up in the washroom, you head towards the cockpit to take a seat one of the passenger seats. Mando sat in the pilot's seat as he controlled the ship while the Child remained asleep in its floating pram. You knew it was alright but you wondered how long it would be out for.

A peaceful silence took over the ship for hours, neither you or Mando saying a word to each other. You were glad for it, too. After all the commotion back on Arvala-7, you felt pleased to have a moment of tranquility. Though you hoped Mando wasn't planning anything; you still couldn't trust him, even though he saved your life quite a few times and helped you out. Perhaps he had a plan all along, to kill you when you began to trust him. Hopefully that wasn't the case, and that he was staying true to his words when he said he would split the payment with you.

Eventually, you grew tired of the quietude but you knew Mando wouldn't utter a word unless needed. You wondered why he was such a reserved person -- if he even was human. He could be a droid beneath all that armor after all, or some ugly vuvrian or rodian. Maybe that's why he doesn't want to show his face.

"So what happens if you take the helmet off?" you question, finally breaking the silence.

His helmet turned slightly to you as he acknowledges your question. "I can't put it back on."

"Really? That's it?" you cocked an eyebrow. "You can just take the helmet off and never have to worry about people seeing your face again?"

He sighed, "It's not that simple."

You rolled your eyes at his short answer. He didn't even care to help you understand, and you knew he had no reason to. But you weren't going to give up. "Why not?" you asked, and when you only received silence in return you sighed. "Come on, Mando, if we're gonna be allies then you can at least share a little about yourself."

The Mandalorian definitely wasn't one to talk about himself, or of his past to people. But it seemed like you weren't going to stop pestering him with questions so he decided he could speak to you a bit about his history. "Fine," he said. "During the Purge, I was saved by the Mandalorians. Swearing to the Creed to never take off my helmet in front of others and follow the Way of the Mandalore is how I'm repaying them."

Nodding, you began to understand a bit more of his ways. You never knew much of Mandalorians, though you did know that the Jedi and Mandalorians were at war years ago. Whether Mando knew about that or not, you weren't sure and neither did you know what his reaction would be if he found out about it. So you chose not to say anything about that topic.

To your surprise, he continued speaking when you thought he wouldn't utter another word until you reached your destination. "My turn," he declared, and you raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you a Jedi anymore?"

You pinched the bridge of your nose with your fingers, "Why do you want to know ?"

"I don't know much about Jedi, but I know plenty of people wish they were one," he stated, and you knew that was true. You'd met so many people claiming they wanted to be a Jedi, mostly children. "So why leave such an opportunity?"

Sighing, you hesitated on whether or not you should respond to his question. It wouldn't do any harm telling him why, and it would only make sense since he shared a part of his history as well. "I'm just not meant to be a Jedi," you simply admitted and hoped that would be enough for him. Though you were sure he wanted to know more.

"Why not?"

"I have a bad temper," you stated, Mando knew that for a fact. "And my master told me my anger would bring me to do bad things. I found it hard to improve on that and over time I felt like I never would, that eventually I would do something to hurt someone I loved. So I left before I finished my training an decided I would no longer be a Jedi."

Your mind went back the past, remembering the times in your younger age when all you wanted to do was become a fully-trained Jedi and master the Force. Perhaps if you had put a little more effort into it, stayed a while longer, you would've made it. But it was much too late for regrets now, all that occurred years ago and you doubted there were any more Jedi left in the galaxy. Maybe leaving before the Jedi Order collapsed saved your life.

"That's why you don't use your powers?" the Mandalorian questioned, breaking you out of your daze of thoughts. "Because you're no longer a Jedi you don't have those powers?"

"No," you answered, and you realized he truly had no clue about the Jedi. "I just choose not to use it anymore."

Your conversation with the Mandalorian ended when he received a message from the comms. Switching it on, an unfamiliar dark-skinned man appeared on the hologram.

Mando! I received your transmission. Wonderful news. Upon your return, deliver the quarry directly to the client. I have no idea if he wants to eat it or hang it on his wall but he's very antsy. Safe passage.

The hologram disappeared, and you found yourself actually quite concerned though you knew you shouldn't be. Whatever it is they wanted this helpless baby for, you had a feeling it wasn't for good reason. "Eat it or hang it on his wall?"

Mando shrugged, "Can't do anything about it."

You rolled your eyes at his answer, opening your mouth to say something but was interrupted when you caught sight of the Child who had hopped out of its pram and now chewing on a metal ball from the control panel. You hadn't noticed when it left its carrier, and obviously neither did Mando. Instantly, you felt relieved to it being up and awake now, though you knew it was fine the entire time, it just needed some rest.

"That's not a toy," Mando told it before taking the ball away and grabbing the back of its little robe, lifting it up as if it was a loth-kitten and placing him back in his floating carrier.

"And that's not how you hold a baby, Mando!" You retorted as you stood from your seat to pick up the Child. It cooed at you as if it were actually speaking to you, and you smiled at its babbling. "You okay, kid?" you brought your hand to stroke one of its long, green ears as it continued to coo.

"It doesn't matter," Mando said as he watched your interaction with the baby, and you rolled your eyes yet again.

Without realizing, you were growing fond of the little green baby, although you knew you shouldn't be. It would make delivering him to the client more difficult, and you knew you'd start feeling guilty as soon as you left it. Perhaps you'd even do something you'd regret later, like you always did. So you set the Child back in its pram and took a seat back in the passenger seat.

"How long 'till we're there?" you asked.

"A few minutes," he responded, and that's when you realized it had already been a whole rotation since you'd jumped into hyperspace.

After a moment of waiting and silence, Mando began flipping switches and pulling back a lever as he brought the ship out of hyperspace. The stars which were passing by at light speed slowed down, and soon you were met with the familiar starry black void you came to know after countless hours spent in ships while traveling to other planets.

Soon after landing, the two of you instantly made your way through the city towards the Imperial safehouse. The Child trailed behind closely in its pram, and you couldn't help but notice the many eyes that watched as you passed by. You recognized there were plenty of hunters here on Nevarro who've no doubt heard about the bounty which the reward were extremely valuable beskar ingots. While numerous bounty hunters have attacked you to win over a quarry, you knew they wouldn't mess with the Mandalorian who walked beside you.

As soon as you began reaching the familiar pathway to the client's place, you found yourself slowing down without noticing. Insecurity loomed over your emotions, and you felt like you couldn't possibly leave this baby here in possible danger... that would be inhumane. But then, you weren't sure if they were even going to harm it, perhaps they'd take good care of it instead. Plus, you needed the credits to stay alive during these difficult times.

Mando became aware that you were falling behind, stopping for a second as he turned to face you. "What?"

You froze in your spot. "Nothing, I'm just still a little disoriented from hitting my head," you managed to say, hoping you had lied smoothly and he believed you. Picking up your speed a bit, you caught up with him. "I'll be fine, let's go."

He nodded as the both of you continued walking , and soon enough you had reached your destination. You shared one last glance with the Child, his ears were flattened and recognized sadness in his expression. It was like it sensed that you were leaving it behind here, unknowing of what the client was planning to do to it. In this moment, you knew you couldn't do it. Maybe it was the Jedi still in you, but felt you'd suffer being guilty if they indeed did hurt this defenseless baby.

"Wait!" You stopped Mando just as he raised his fist to knock on the door. His visor turned to you, tilting in confusion as he expected an explanation. "I... can't— I don't think... dank farrik!"

"What?" even through his modulator you could hear his confused tone. "You can't what?"

"I can't do this," you managed to say, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I can't deliver this quarry. If whatever they do with it harms it, I don't think I could live with myself thinking I helped caused it's pain. It may be 50 years old but its still a baby."

Mando stayed silent as he thought for a moment before speaking up. "So what do you expect me to do, take the bounty back where it was?" He questioned, and he shook his head at you, "I need the reward."

You sighed again. "You deliver it, I won't," you told him. "I'll find another job for myself." Though you were absolutely sure you weren't going to find any other bounty with the prize being beskar, you just didn't have the guts to give the Child to the client and would have to find another bounty to sustain yourself for now. "Give me back my weapons."

He kept silent as he nodded, taking your weapons which he had carried in his holster or in his boot for when he'd eventually give them back after delivering the quarry. You took them in your hands, feeling glad to finally have some sort of defense other than hand-to-hand combat. Instantly, you placed them in their needed places, making sure to conceal your lightsaber with the jacket you wore so nobody would see and cause any trouble seeing a Jedi, which you weren't. But they didn't know that.

Now whatever alliance you had with this Mandalorian disappeared, and now you're back to being enemies. After this, it would all return to normal, just like you wanted it to be. Soon, you'd embark on another bounty hunt and hopefully won't have to see Mando again.

"Don't tell anyone I used to be a Jedi... there's a reason you only found out recently," you said. "So I guess I'll see you whenever we bump into each other again on another hunt."

The Mandalorian didn't say a word, and you thought maybe he was thinking this whole situation as well. When you only received a nod in return, you took that as a signal to leave and you attempted to keep your mind off the quarry as you walked. Although he wasn't being delivered by your doing, you still felt like you could do something to help save the Child. But then that would mean you'd be going against the Code of the Guild, and afterwards you'd have no job to sustain yourself with. You had to let this pass.

Now you were in search of transport. You kept your belongings in your quarters back in Corellia, though it wasn't exactly your home, nor was it where you were born. Coruscant was your birth place, but after you left the Jedi Temple there you decided you'd stay in Corellia. You took breaks from bounty hunting there, though now was no time for breaks. You just needed to get a fresh change of clothes, eat something, and return to hunting, despite the effects of your concussion still effective. At times, you would feel sudden dizziness and nausea which would go away soon enough, though hopefully it wouldn't interfere while you searched for the new quarry.

Hesitant at first, the Mandalorian raised his fist knock on the door in front of him. Maybe you were right? Whatever they were going to do with the Child, he wasn't sure if it would do it harm. It's just a helpless child... no, he had to get these thoughts out of his head. He needed the beskar reward or else he'd have to go on yet another bounty hunt to earn the credits he needed.

Almost instantly, the entry sensor emerged from the wall, blinking at him a few times before a couple of Stormtroopers came through the door, and only then was Mando aloud to enter the building. As they walked through a hallway, one of the Stormtroopers grabbed the Child's floating pram a little too harshly than he would like. "Easy with that," Mando said.

"You take it easy," the Stormtrooper retorted.

Underneath his helmet, the Mandalorian clenched his jaw and held back blasting this Stormtrooper through the head to show how he's not one to mess with. He really thought he could mess with a Mandalorian? With that crappy armor, he could have him dead in a split second if he wanted to. Luckily, Mando had other priorities right now and he couldn't risk his reward being taken away from him. Then he'd be angry.

As they enter the room, the client was already there waiting for them at a table. He immediately stood from his seat and walked over to the carrier, along with Dr. Pershing. The two inspect the Child, scanning it, speaking to each other about how healthy it is.

"Your reputation was not unwarranted," said the client.

"How many fobs did you give out?" Mando questioned, remembering the unpleasant encounters he had with you and the Trandoshans. He hoped he'd never have to go through so much fighting for a bounty again. But then, this was a bounty with an especially high prize so for there to be nobody else trying to get the same bounty would be impossible.

"The asset was of extreme importance to me," the client stated. "I had to ensure it's delivery. But to the winner," he brings out a camtono which contained Mando's payment, instantly feeling relieved to finally seeing it. The client continued, "go the spoils."

Opening up the camtono revealed two large stacks of beskar ingots. Mando advanced towards the camtono, taking out a couple of the ingots to inspect them, making sure these were made of real beskar He held them in his hands for a moment, eventually coming to the conclusion that it indeed was real and that the client hadn't lied to him.

"Such a large bounty for such a smile package," the client acknowledged.

The Mandalorian watched as the Child was taken away in its pram, led away to another room. It let out a little squeal at him, as if it knew something bad was about to happen to it, and so Mando could save it from them. He thought about how you were right; that if they did harm it, he'd feel guilty for the rest of his life. You did the right choice, but for Mando there was no going back now. He couldn't simply take the Child and leave.

"What are your plans for it?" Mando couldn't help but ask but he knew what his answer would be. A number of Stormtroopers entered the room, and Mando now felt unease.

"Is it not the code of the Guild that these events are now forgotten? That beskar is enough to make a handsome replacement for your armor," the client said, and he knew he had reason. He had gone through so much with this armor that it was now all battered up, having to fix it every so often so he could continue with his hunting. "Unfortunately, finding a Mandalorian in these trying times is more difficult than finding the steel."

There was no other choice than to put the ingots back in its place, close up the camtono and leave along with it in his grasp. He couldn't do anything else, whatever they were going to do to the Child he could only hope that it wouldn't hurt it. And if they did... well, there was nothing he could do about it, like he told you earlier.

Meanwhile, you'd already found transportation to where you live. A lady had offered to take you to Corellia for a few credits; luckily, you had enough credits. Now you were boarding onto her ship, though it was small it'll do for this short trip. But the only thing on your mind was the Child. You couldn't to shake the fact that he could be suffering right now; you were surprised how quick you'd grown attached to it despite how persistently you'd attempted not to. What if they were hurting it right now? You hadn't given it to the client but you didn't feel any better about it. The fact alone that you'd helped retrieve it and bring it back to Nevarro proved your guiltiness.

You hadn't realized you'd stopped walking up the ramp and froze in your spot until the lady called on you. "Get on, Miss, I don't have all day!" She yelled from the cockpit of the ship.

Taking one last glance out at the city, you continued walking forward and into the unknown ship. The ramp began closing up, the light of the outside slowly fading away until you were left in the darkness of the interior side of the ship. 

But the Child...

No, get those thoughts out of your mind. It's probably already delivered by now, there's nothing you could do about it.

Except there is.

The ship was already starting up, but suddenly you slammed on a button and the ramp began lowering itself. Cursing under your breath, you waited for the ramp to fully open so you could leave. "What the hell are you doing?!" the lady shouted, obviously frustrated at your actions.

"I have to go," you said, watching as the ramp slowly lowered itself until it was completely open. Instantly, you sprinted out of the ship and back onto the land of Nevarro, rushing towards the city as your heart raced. Realization hit that you were going to betray the Guild and break the Code, but this was necessary or else you'd live the rest of your life in guilt.

You had to save the Child.


	5. The Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On your attempt to rescue The Child from the Imperials, you just so happen to bump into a certain Mandalorian who's intention were surprisingly the same as yours.

Adrenaline flooded your veins as you made your way to the Imperial safehouse while your mind raced to think of a plan. Obviously, you were going to break in somehow since they had no reason to let you inside. Perhaps you could take out the Stormtroopers who open the door as quick and silent as possible, and that would let you in. Surely, you'd be outnumbered but you had a lightsaber in case of an emergency, and if you had to you would kill whoever got in the way. That way nobody would be able to tell the story of the woman with a lightsaber at Nevarro.

Though once you reached your destination, you found the entry sensor was completely busted and you wondered who had done this. The Stormtroopers wouldn't be alerted of your presence without the entry sensor, but that was what you needed so you could break in. Sighing, decided you could perhaps spot some backdoor or some defect in the building that could let you in. Turning the corner further into the alleyway only to catch sight of a large hole in the wall, leading into the safehouse. You furrowed your brow as suspicion took over your emotions, your hands slipped your blaster out of its holster as unease settled in. Somebody certainly broke into the building and undoubtedly searching for the same objective as you -- The Child.

But what was the point of taking The Child? You had reason, of course -- rescue The Child from whatever harm would come to him here. Who else would even think of that? Mando? No, the only thing he cared about was the reward, not the welfare of a baby.

Hesitantly, you entered the safehouse through the blown wall and as you did you spotted a few dead Stormtrooper bodies laying on the floor. All killed by blasters, you noticed. Further into the building you could hear something -- a voice, though you couldn't recognize from who it came from. Then came the sound of a blaster, and you thought whoever had broken in had killed someone though the same voice continued speaking, it sounded like he was begging. With the blaster raised and ready to fire in your hands, you continued on with silent footsteps, walking past a couple more of lifeless Stormtroopers splayed over the floor.

"No, please!"

Once you detected the room from which the source of the unfamiliar voice came, you instantly stepped towards it and pressed your back against the wall next to the entrance. Suddenly, the world seemed to swirl around and you felt as if you couldn't maintain yourself upright anymore. You cursed under your breath when you recognized the effects of your concussion, yet the only thing you could do was close your eyes for a brief second and hope for it to cease soon.

"Please don't hurt him. It's just a child, please! Please, no. No, no!"

Shuffling was heard, and it sounded like the man had been tossed aside by whoever was in there. He truly sounded scared for his life, though the intruder in there seemed to at least have some mercy or else you were sure he'd have a blaster through his head right about now. Indeed, you wanted to step in though the dizziness failed to stop and you found yourself leaning against the wall to support your weight.

There was a silence. Then, "What did you do to it?"

Your eyes snapped open at the all too familiar modulated voice of the Mandalorian. Now your heart beat rapidly in your chest, knowing your enemy was here. Why was he here? Did he really think of saving The Child as well? If the both of you were on the same page then perhaps having him on your side wouldn't exactly be a bad thing. Finally, your sight seemed to return to normal but your legs still felt weak and you feared walking in there only for your legs to fail you.

"What did you do to it?" Mando pressed on, this time more urgently.

"I protected him! I-I protected him! If it wasn't for me, he would already be dead! Please! Please, please..."

You gasped when all of a sudden the Mandalorian appeared in front of you as he exit the room, and the both of you raised your blasters at each other in unison. "Mando!" you whisper-shouted, and he lowered his blaster when he recognized you as you did the same. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue The Child," he answered. Noticing The Child held closely to him in his arms, wrapped safely in a blanket as it slept, you sighed a breath of relief to see it was alright. Then you observed how Mando had already made use of the beskar ingots he was given as a reward for the bounty, now wearing a new set of shiny beskar armor. You had to admit, it suited him and it was definitely and upgrade from the old battered up armor he wore before.

The sound of a door hissing open filled your ears, and Mando instantly pulled you to him to hide from the Stormtroopers passing by. Your legs still felt unsteady and you found yourself leaning closer to him, your hand meeting with the cold of his beskar cuirass. Even though the armor he wore, you could still feel the warmth of his body heat and you swore you could hear him breathing through the modulator of his helmet with how tight together the two of you were. You never thought you'd be this close to him, ever.

When the Stormtroopers were out of sight, you and Mando left your hiding spot. At first, you took small steps in case you were to fall, but when you observed that you could walk normally again, you continued on at the same speed as Mando. The two of you entered another room full of crates, both your blasters raised to shoot at whoever came into the way. Your heart leaped when the entrance in front of you opened up, revealing two Stormtroopers with their weapons raised. You and Mando immediately attempted to hide behind some crates, though they seemed to have spotted you two already.

"Look, there!"

Dodging the blasters shots being thrown, you attempted to fire at one of them only to miss. Mando held The Child closer to him, allowing himself to be his shield as he stepped over to another stack of crates and took cover there. You followed closely behind, luckily the Stormtroopers lost sight of you.

"Split up. We'll flush them out."

"Copy."

One of them were getting dangerously close, and Mando beckoned you to follow him and hide behind another set of crates. For a moment, you remained hidden though when the other Stormtrooper got too close for comfort, you blasted him before he could finish his sentence. Now the other trooper spotted you, and Mando took over this time as he unstrapped his pulse rifle with one hand and electrocuted the remaining guard. When he fell to the ground, you and Mando were instantly on the move again.

For some time, you wandered around the safehouse in search of an exit and luckily nobody had spotted you just yet. You were sure everyone was on high alert now, and that it would only be a matter of a time before you were caught again. When you entered another room, just as you predicted there was another Stormtrooper there. Just as he fired at you, you fired back but since Stormtroopers seemed to have horrible aim, he missed and you hit the target. Another trooper caught your attention as he fired at the both of you, this time Mando raised his vambrace at him as a roaring flame ignited and he made sure to keep The Child shielded from the heat. You covered your eyes at the intense light until you heard a thud of the body collapsing onto the floor, and when you opened your eyes you saw the body of the trooper burnt to a crisp.

You and Mando continued to another room, this time a familiar one, where you had met the client the first time and where you had discussed the terms of the bounty. Relief took over your emotions now that you knew where you were and where the exit could be found, though that all disappeared when in a matter of seconds you were surrounded by numerous Stormtroopers, their weapons raised and ready to kill the both of you if needed. Now you and Mando were pushed back to back, your weapons raised up in your hands so the troopers wouldn't shoot.

"Freeze!"

"Don't move."

"Hands up!"

"Drop the blasters."

"Wait," Mando halted them. "What I'm holding is very valuable. Here..." your eyes widened when he actually began to crouch down and drop his weapon on the floor. He couldn't seriously be doing this, could he? If either of you surrendered then surely you would be arrested for all the havoc that's been caused.

"What are you doing?" you whispered urgently when he even started putting The Child down.

"Put your blaster down," he told you loud enough for the troopers to hear. The next bit came barely audible and only meant for you to hear, "Trust me."

Slowly and reluctantly, you bent down as well and placed your blaster on the floor.

"Now turn and face me," commanded a Stormtrooper.

Neither of you moved.

"Stand up!"

Whistling filled your ears, and multiple miniature missiles flew everywhere, hitting each and every one of the troopers as they were sent to the floor. When you made sure neither of them moved at all and were dead, you and Mando picked up your weapons as he also brought The Child back into the safety of his arms. "That's new," you acknowledged. From all the battles you and the Mandalorian had gone through with each other or against others — such as the Trandoshans on Arvala-7 — he had never used that little trick. Either he only used them during emergencies such as you do with your lightsaber, or he had just obtained them.

Finally, you exit the safehouse though you knew you weren't safe just yet. Only when you were back on the Razor Crest would you feel at peace, because here there were plenty of bounty hunters around. The Guild would certainly alert all bounty hunters about you and Mando, and they were undoubtedly going to receive an extremely high reward for bringing the three of you back. Returning to the ship as soon as you could was crucial.

The many eyes watching you and the Mandalorian closely did not go unnoticed by either of you, your hands hovering over your blasters as you walked through the city. Beeping tracking fobs filled your ears, and you felt a pit in your stomach realizing you were being surrounded yet again. You could tell Mando was feeling uneasy as well seeing as this situation was truly dire, and the chances of escaping were low.

Now the two of you make your way through the city and towards his ship landed right outside the city. But as you walk through the streets, you couldn't help but feel unease at everyone's eyes on the both of you and you knew Mando felt the same. You realized they were all bounty hunters, their tracking fobs blinking in their hands.

Soon the ship came into view, though you and Mando found yourselves stopping in your tracks when you spotted the same man Mando had received a message from previously. He stepped into the path which led to the Crest, preventing any of you from going any further. Your gaze wandered around at the numerous hunters around you, their weapons raised directly at you as they inched closer to you, a little too close.

"Welcome back, Mando!" said the unfamiliar man ahead of you, his eyes flickered to you as before he repeated your name. Of course he knew your name, he's most likely heard of you since you were one of the most experienced bounty hunters in the parsec. If Mando hadn't figured out your name yet, now he knew. "Now put the package down."

"Step aside," Mando demanded. "We're going to my ship."

He chuckled, "You put the bounty down and perhaps I'll let you pass."

"The kid's coming with me."

"If you truly care about the kid," he gestured towards a speeder on the side of the streets with the blaster in his hand, "you'll put it on that speeder and we'll discuss terms."

You shook your head at Mando when you noticed he was actually considering putting the Child in the speeder. "How do I know I can trust you?" Mando asked. You can't, you wanted to say. You knew this man was not trustable right now, how could he even think of doing this?

"Because I'm your only hope."

After a quick second of consideration, Mando gestured you to follow him to the speeder. Disbelief etched your features, you could only hope he had some sort of plan in mind because you were not going to surrender this easily. Heck, you'd even bring out your lightsaber if needed. You could only hope it didn't come to that. Mando noticeably hesitated once reaching the speeder, his visor facing down at the sleeping child in his arms. You gazed down at him too, and you knew you couldn't just leave The Child with the Imperials. It just couldn't happen — you had to do something, think of some plan... think, think...

A deafening silence took over.

Suddenly, Mando whipped around and blasted one of the hunters and shooting broke out. A gloved hand pulled you into the speeder as Mando hopped into it along with you. You both crouched down in an effort to avoid getting caught in the firing. "Drive!" Mando yelled at the astromech droid. It beeped reluctantly in response, the speeder didn't move. "Drive!"

The speeder began moving as the droid controlled it, and you made use of your blaster by shooting any hunter who got too close while attempting to stay shielded at the same time. Mando took out his pulse rifle and disintegrated numerous hunters as well. Unfortunately, the droid got busted as it got in the way of the blasting, the speeder crashing into some objects and eventually stopping. The firing ceased and you sighed a breath in frustration as you remained hidden in the speeder. It couldn't get much worse than this.

You wondered what Mando had planned next; he seemed to be good with plans, better than you. He kept his pulse rifle in hand, slowly and discreetly aiming at one of the hunters who had no clue. One down. He aimed at another. Two down. Now they all scrambled to hide from the Mandalorian's sight, and only then did you begin firing a few shots as well. Some hunters were brought down though not all of them as they hid behind alleyways, crates, and random objects. 

"That's one impressive weapon!" Karga commented.

"Here's what I'm gonna do:" Mando began, "We're gonna walk to my ship with the kid and you're gonna let it happen."

Hunters were getting too close for comfort once again, they stepped towards you quietly as if they thought you wouldn't notice. Though you refrained from using The Force, it still alerted you when danger was near, and you were glad for it in times like these. "Nah, how about this. We take the kid, and if either of you try to stop us we kill you and strip your body for parts."

You turned around just in time to blast a hunter who was dangerously close, and the rest of the hunters began their firing yet again. You blew a breath in frustration -- you wished to be on that ship and headed of this planet already though you weren't quite sure whether you would get off this planet alive.

"Don't hit the target!"

As a last ditch effort, the Mandalorian raised his vambrace as fire emerged from it, burning several of the hunters as they stumbled back. But that only lasted for a quick moment, and soon the fire died out, leaving the two of you vulnerable to the blasters as they continued firing. You and Mando gazed down at The Child as it stir awake from its sleep from all the commotion, it's big brown eyes staring up at you and you felt a pang of guilt hit you. They were going to take the Child. Do whatever they want with it. You knew you shouldn't have allowed your emotions to get in the way. As for Mando, he proved to be a good ally despite your hatred towards him. He offered you a portion of the bounty, fought a beast alongside you, help patch you up when injured, and even attempt to rescue The Child. Now you just had to accept the fact that you were pinned down and there was no way out...

Unless you brought out your lightsaber.

A missile unlike any of the other blasts being run caught your attention, both you and the Mandalorian looking up in unison as the missile hit one of the hunters who collapsed onto the ground immediately. Flying figures emerged to the sky from the city, each and every one of them armed and ready to fight. They all seemed to be on your side and you felt hope return to you, though you couldn't seem to recognize any of them.

It wasn't until they got closer that you realized they were... Mandalorians.

You knew they went into hiding since they were so rare to find, Mando being the only one you've seen after the fall of the Empire. You had no idea they had a base here, in Nevarro. Instantly, you made use of your blaster again now that the bounty hunters were distracted by their new opponents. They stood no chance against you now.

One of the Mandalorians landed next to you and Mando, firing an automatic at the hunters. "Get out of here! We'll hold them off!"

"You're going to have to relocate the covert," Mando said.

"This is The Way."

"This is The Way," Mando repeated. For a second, you wondered what that meant. Perhaps it was 'The Way of the Mandalore' that Mando had spoken to you about? You didn't have time to think about that now, as you and Mando dashed to the ship, leaving behind all the chaos. Finally. The ramp of the ship was already completely lowered, and you boarded onto the Crest alongside Mando with The Child secure in his arms.

"Hold it."

Slowly, you turned around at the voice you wished to never hear again, finding Greed Karga pointing a blaster at the two of you. "I didn't want it to come to this," he said. "But then you broke the code."

"Let us go and you'll escape without a blaster through your head," you growled, your weapon raised at him. Though before any of you could react, Mando's shot his grappling hook towards his carbon-freezing chamber, causing gas to leak out and block Karga from view. Mando pulled you towards him, leading you to the ladder as Karga fired aimlessly.

"Go to the cockpit," Mando told you, placing The Child in your arms.

"But--"

"Go," he urged.

You wanted to stay and fight alongside the Mandalorian but keeping The Child safe was your top priority now. Maker, you sound like a mother now...

Climbing the ladder, you instantly took a seat in the pilot's seat to start up the ship and get out of here before any other hunters reached you. Below, you heard the familiar sound of Mando's blaster before silence took over, and you hoped he hadn't missed his target. Now with the Crest started up, you brought it up into the air as you left all the turmoil you and Mando had caused. Soon after, Mando appeared and you allowed him to take his spot while you left to the passenger seat, The Child still held in your arms. You slumped down and took a breath of relief to have gotten out of that situation. Barely.

The Child was wide awake now, attempting to wriggle out of the blankets and out of your arms but you kept him on your lap, at least until you guys were safe in hyperspace. Your attention turned to a Mandalorian flying his jetpack next to the Crest, saluting at Mando before dropping back down. You wondered why Mando didn't have a jetpack of his own, perhaps he had to earn it somehow?

"I gotta get one of those."

When you were distracted with the Mandalorian and his jetpack, the Child had managed to hop off of your lap and make his way to Mando. You watched as he reached for the silver ball on the lever like he had previously done. Though, this time, Mando handed the little ball to him as it giggled and caught it in his hands before chewing on it.

You smiled to yourself, realizing that maybe the Mandalorian wasn't as heartless as you thought.


	6. The Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mando land on Corellia for you to gather a couple of your belongings, only for unwanted trouble to find you.

The Razor Crest rumbled softly beneath you as it made its way through hyperspace, the stars passing by rapidly at light speed. The Child now slept in a cot below in the hull, having gone to bed with his belly full after feeding him. Mando set the coordinates to the planet in which you lived, Corellia, since you suggested you should grab the rest of your credits in case it was needed in the future. That, and you desperately needed a change of clothes. Your current attire was all torn, muddied, and stained with dried blood.

After speaking with Mando, the two of you decided you would stay in his ship temporarily. At least until you found a nice home for The Child, to which then you could leave the Crest and return to bounty hunting. Hunting now would be complicated now that most bounty hunters in the parsec are in search of you, the Mandalorian, and The Child. So you'd have to be extra careful, find a safe, isolated place for The Child, and discreetly earn your money. This time, without being a member of the Guild. Only then would things return to normal.

Except that's exactly what you said when you teamed up with the Mandalorian the first time. It was just supposed to be a simple return the quarry, earn your rewards and split up. But look at you now... stuck with Mando on his ship as you seek a new home for The Child. You could only hope that all went well, though the chances of that were slim and trouble was bound to find you.

Your eyes wandered to the Mandalorian seated in the pilot's chair in front of you. He hadn't uttered a word since you left Nevarro and during the silence you began to wonder why he would even allow you on his ship. You'd stolen countless quarries from him, as he did you, and have attempted to kill him multiple times. Yet he somewhat trusted you now, even with your weapons; perhaps he knew your sole intention now was to keep The Child safe. Which, in fact, is true. You didn't want anymore trouble with Mando, at least not at the moment.

"Why did you let me live?" you asked out of the blue, breaking the silence that seemed to last forever. His helmet moved slightly as he peered at you from the corner of his black visor, though he didn't give you an answer. Typical. You sighed, "Why didn't you just kill me then and there? You're a Mandalorian, you're--"

"Heartless?" he finished. Now that left you speechless, unable to find any words to his assumption. "If I were heartless, I wouldn't have rescued The Child."

"I never said that."

"But you were thinking it."

You scoffed and opened your mouth to shoot a cutting retort back at him but ended up keeping quiet instead. Because he was right. All this time you thought he was a ruthless bounty hunter who would've killed you if the chance appeared, but it turns out you were wrong. He allowed you to live, help return the quarry, assist you when severely injured, and rescue The Child. That was the opposite of ruthless, and you hadn't realized how inaccurate your conclusion was until now.

"You would've killed me if you had the chance," Mando added. You were just about to counter that but you restrained yourself because, once again, he was correct. If it weren't for his beskar armor which protected him from your lightsaber attack, he would be dead. "Who's the heartless one now?"

Suddenly, you were brought back to your past, when your only objective was to become a fully-trained Jedi Knight. But your master warned you how your anger and selfishness would lead you down a dark path, how you were much too quick to kill and wouldn't think of a thorough plan before jumping into a fight. You knew you had to change, and you tried. But you failed, dropping out of your training in fear of what you could become.

You let out a shaky breath and kept the quietude that now took over the ship, regretting even speaking in the first place. The Child was heard babbling and calling for you or Mando down in the hull, and you took that as an excuse to leave the tense situation you caused.

Eventually, you felt the ship pull out of hyperspace and you knew you must be just about to land on Corellia. Instantly, you felt relief now that you were getting off the ship and away from Mando, even if it were for a short amount of time. The tension between you two was now too much for you to handle and a little escape would do you good.

When the ship landed, you placed The Child back in his cot. "I'll be back in a few," you gave him a small smile as you stroked one of his big, green ears, and he cooed at you in response. Mando didn't seem to want to come down to the hull, so you left the ship without saying a word to him. It's not like you wanted to talk to him anyway.

As always, the familiar fog covered the entire planet no matter what time or season it was. You quite despised the planet; the climate, cities, people... it just wasn't the ideal place you'd want to stay at. Not to mention this was where many Imperial ships were built before the Empire fell, though luckily that ceased eventually. But you payed no attention to that matter; you rarely came here unless you needed something.

You examined the different species who passed by you as you walked through the streets, in search of any sign that they recognized you. If word had gone out that you and the Mandalorian had stolen a quarry with beskar ingots as a prize, you were sure every bounty hunter in the parsec would be after you guys. So you had to get out of here quick before anyone noticed and try to be as discreet as you can.

As soon as you recognized the doors of your apartment, you entered your password on the number pad to enter your quarters. The cramped room was as dull and bleak as you remembered it last time you were here weeks ago, only holding a small bed and roughly containing any furniture.

Instantly, you began undressing and changing into a new set of clothes, making sure to throw away your previous outfit. There was definitely no wearing those again. Now you wore a black tunic under your umber jacket which concealed the lightsaber hooked on your belt. You placed your blaster back into its holster which hung over the new dark set of pants you wore, and you settled your chestplate back in its place in case you were to get into a fight again. Which you were certain would happen. Now you just needed your credits, which you kept in a box under your bed. Taking out the box and placing it on the mattress of the bed, you grabbed the small bag from within it and placed it in one of your pockets. There wasn't much inside, but little credits were better than none, and who knows of you would need it during your journey with Mando. You were ready to head back to the ship, leaving your apartment and making sure to lock it before you continued on. 

Until you heard a squeaky voice call your name, "hey!"

Your gaze turned to your right, instantly recognizing your neighbor who you've met quite a few times and even indulged in conversation with her. Zalia was her name — a Twi'lek around your age, who's skin was a dark purple color. "Hey, Zalia," you greeted her with a smile.

She stood at the door of her side of the apartment, waving you in excitedly, "Come on, let's talk for a few! We haven't spoken to each other in forever."

"I need to get going, actually," you told her. Wasting anymore time on here could cause trouble to find you, and that was the last thing you needed. "I'm sorry."

A frown appeared on her face, "Oh... well, that's too bad. I started brewing up some coffee for you but if you're too busy then maybe we can talk another day?"

Coffee... it's been a while since you had a nice cup of coffee. You could definitely benefit from that; your energy hasn't been very high lately. Perhaps a few minutes would be okay, as long as you didn't take too long. Plus, you'd be inside Zalia's apartment so nobody outside would even notice you. "You know what, I could spare a few minutes."

Her face lit up with a smile as she welcomed you into her home, closing the door behind you. The smell of that sweet, delicious coffee overwhelmed your senses and you couldn't wait to have a sip. "Have a seat," she gestured to the table with two chairs across from each other, and you quickly seated yourself there. "It's been a while, what have you been up to?" she asked as she made her way to where the coffee was brewing.

Obviously you couldn't tell her about your current situation with Mando, or else she'd immediately alert the authorities about it and pretty soon you'd have bounty hunters trailing behind you again. "The usual," you replied, "just working on some bounties to earn myself the credits I need."

"It must be difficult, huh?" She placed a mug in front of you and began pouring coffee, the dark-colored liquid seeping out and causing your mouth to water at its scent. "Having to hunt down other people for a living. You must've had some tough calls."

You nodded, taking the cup in your hands as she filled her own mug up, sitting down on the chair across from you. "Yeah, it's definitely not a simple job, but it keeps me sustained," you said as you blew gently on the coffee, eventually taking a sip and savoring the bittersweet taste. "Besides, I love the action and adrenaline that comes with it."

She laughed before drinking from her cup, and setting it down afterwards. "Yeah, I bet you have plenty of fun with that."

The two of you conversed for some time, though eventually you reckoned you should leave before Mando began getting impatient. And you couldn't risk him leaving you here, which you were sure he'd do. Plus, you said you'd only be a few minutes and it's been... a bit more than that.

"Well, I'm going to have to get going," you stated as you stood from your seat and smiled. "Thank you for the coffee, Zalia, I needed it."

She only nodded, giving you a wide grin as she took the empty mugs into the sink. "Bye, take care!"

"Yeah, you t--" You stopped mid-sentence when suddenly, you felt a familiar sense of... danger. 

You whipped around just in time, your hand slipping the lightsaber out of your belt as it ignited, deflecting the blaster fire that aimed straight at your head. You couldn't believe it: Zalia was a bounty hunter, ready to kill you for credits! You knew you shouldn't have allowed yourself to trust anyone here, no matter how kind and likeable they seemed. She just seemed like such a trustable person...

When the shot ricocheted off of your glowing lightsaber, luckily it hit Zalia square in the chest, causing her to collapse to the floor with a thud. You let out a shaky breath as you peered down at the lifeless body, placing your saber back in its place, hooked on your belt and covered by the jacket you wore. Now you knew you had to get out of here — quick. Dashing outside her apartment, you made sure to close the door in case anyone were to catch a glimpse inside and find her dead body. Which you knew that, eventually, someone would find it but at least you'd be long gone by then.

Yet when you turned around, your gaze met with multiple people who had their blasters raised at you — bounty hunters. A group of them.

Panic registered itself in your emotions as you realized you were outnumbered. There had to be at least fifteen of them, and the only way you could take them on yourself is if you took out your lightsaber. No, you couldn't so that. Everyone would find out about your secret and the price on your head would become even higher once the Guild was notified. You could use Mando's help right about now, though you doubt he knew your situation.

"Put your hands where I can see them," one of the hunters shouted. Slowly, you raised your hands up in the air. No, no, there has to be a way out of this... you were not going to give up this easily.

"Good, now step over to us."

Like hell.

Whirling around back into the building, you slammed the door shut as blasters began to fire through the walls. You dodged them as you sprinted to the backdoor exit and felt relief knowing the whole apartment wasn't surrounded by hunters; though they would definitely find you again if you didn't hurry. Now you had to take a different route back to the ship since the hunters were blocking the way you came from, but you didn't know the place much. You never spent enough time here to recognize all the tricks and short cuts to getting around.

You had no choice but to hasten through the streets, shoving aside anyone who got in the way as you desperately tried to get back to the safety of the ship. Some cursed you out though you didn't pay any attention to them; the only thing on your mind was to get out of here. Your heart dropped at the sight of one of the hunters in the corner of the streets, searching in the crowd for you. Then behind you, four of them trailed behind you but they didn't seem to notice you yet. 

Now you darted into an alleyway, unknowing of what was in there but it seemed like the only way you could escape them. You had no clue if there was a way out of this or if there was a dead end; you could only hope it wasn't the second option, or else you'd surely be dead. Turning corners, you breathed heavily at all the running around and felt like you needed a break but the adrenaline kept you going. You knew that if you stopped, it would risk them spotting you yet again.

For a moment, you concluded that you were lost and you'd have to go back or else you wouldn't be able to get out. But luckily you spotted the exit up ahead and, even better, the Razor Crest up ahead. Finally. You hurried through, towards the landing port and hopefully hidden among the people who passed by. Almost there...

Suddenly, you where shoved harshly by someone, though you remained standing. When you lifted your gaze you discerned one of the bounty hunters, this one a Rodian with his weapon raised at you, ready to shoot if needed. "Surrender now so I won't have to kill you," he said.

But you were so close to the ship...

Without thinking whatsoever, you charged at the Rodian, slipping your blaster out of its holster. The hunter fired at you once, but you dodged his attack as you duck under and blasted him in the leg, causing him to shout out in pain. You quickly stood and dashed towards the ship again since the hunter was distracted, catching sight of Mando lowering the ramp for you and blasting at... a group of hunters following behind you. This only made you speed up even more, and when you at last entered back into the ship, you sighed in relief and attempted to catch your breath.

"What the hell happened out there?" Mando asked as he closed the ramp just in time before the hunters reached the ship, heading directly towards the ladder and into the cockpit to start up the ship.

"I don't know how they found me!" you admitted, trailing closely behind him. "I was having a coffee with someone and turns out, she was a bounty hunter, too! And then when I was going to leave and get to the ship, I was surrounded by a group of them and they chased me all the way back here," you panted heavily to catch your breath, taking a seat in the passenger's chair.

Mando brought the ship up into the air. "You were having coffee with someone?"

"Yes -- I thought I could trust her," you said, and sighed. "But I guess not."

After a quick moment, the ship was in the safety of hyperspace, where no hunters would be able to reach you. You felt comforted now being out of that stressing situation, though you had no clue where you and Mando would head to after this. You stood from your seat, deciding to go check on The Child when you felt a gloved hand on your shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

You tensed to his touch, though in a split second you found yourself relaxing instead. Turning to face him, you looked up into the darkness of his visor. "Yeah. I wasn't hurt." He nodded at your answer, turning to leave but you stopped him before he could. "Mando." When the T of his visor faced you again, you continued, "I'm sorry about before."

"It's fine," was all he said before he left to the hull of the ship.

That certainly didn't convince you that he had forgiven you, but you found it didn't matter. Eventually, you would find someplace to leave The Child, so you and Mando could split and you won't have to deal with each other again. You won't need his forgiveness because all that recently happened would be in the past.

Well, that's what you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first try at an original chapter in this fic, I'm not sure if it turned out alright or not... but I think it's fine lol!


	7. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In search of a new home for The Child, you find what seems like the perfect planet. Meanwhile, you and Mando try to suppress your growing concern over each other.

Numerous weeks were spent in the Razor Crest traveling through hyperspace with no planet to land on ever since the scare you had on Corellia. There was nothing but the three of you left to entertain yourselves -- well, the two of you. Mando preferred isolating himself instead, barely speaking or interacting with either of you. Which meant that, during your extended stay on the ship, you were left to maintain The Child distracted. Yet you could tell he was getting restless -- he slept for briefer amounts of time, quicker to cry when displeased, easily disinterested in any games you offered to play. While you wouldn't discuss about it, you felt the same. You understood that it's safer to stay in hyperspace, that way nobody could reach you and danger was out of sight. The problem was the baby didn't understand the situation.

Rarely did the Mandalorian ever make conversation with you, only when deemed necessary. Ever since the argument you had before landing on Corellia, things have been tense between the both of you. Even when you attempted to apologize again, he would interrupt you saying 'it's fine' or 'don't worry about it' each time. Still, he continued with the same attitude towards you and you found yourself unsure of what to do anymore. You've never had to handle such a stubborn, unreachable person such as Mando and it frustrated you. But it didn't matter -- as soon as you found a home for The Child then the two of you separate and you wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. You just weren't sure how long it would take to find a planet for him; you could only hope it was soon.

For a while, you rest in the makeshift cot Mando made for your temporary stay in the Razor Crest. You couldn't seem to be able to get some shut-eye despite your lack of sleep lately, and you knew exactly why. While staying on this ship these past weeks, you weren't wasting any energy whatsoever so sleep hardly came to you. You recalled after a long day of bounty hunting, as soon as your head hit your pillow you were fast asleep. It only made you long to return to hunting even more.

The ship suddenly rumbled violently beneath you, catching you off guard. Jolting up from your laying position, your eyebrows furrowed in concern. Could another hunter have found you guys already? Mando had kept the ship out of hyperspace momentarily so fuel wouldn't waste and you could go a little while longer without having to land and refuel. But he stated this sector was safe, at least for now.

When the shaking ceased after a few seconds, you stood from your cot and head towards the cockpit to figure out what happened. As you entered, you found Mando holding The Child with one hand while he stood on his lap as he controlled the ship with the other hand. You sighed a breath of relief when Mando didn't seem worried about anything.

"What was that?" you asked, alerting the Mandalorian of your presence. When The Child heard your voice, he turned around to face you and cooed in greeting. You smiled as you gave him a little wave.

"The kid was playing around with the controls," Mando answered, his visor remaining trained on the stars ahead instead of facing you to speak. As always. "Sorry to wake you."

"No, it's fine. I couldn't get any sleep anyway," you said, though you didn't dare tell him the reason. You knew there wasn't much that could be done about your current circumstances, and the last thing he needed was someone complaining about it.

Just as you turned around to leave the cockpit, you halted when, surprise! he spoke again. "Have you ever been to Sorgan?" he questioned. When you turned around again, you noticed the planet he was viewing on his datapad. The thought of landing on a planet after so long made you thrilled, and you couldn't help but let out a wide grin as you took a few steps closer until you were right behind his seat.

The planet, though, was unfamiliar to you.

"No, I've never heard of it. What's it like?"

"Looks like there's no star port, no industrial centers, no population density," he explained as you watched the datapad on the control panel convey an empty planet. "Real backwater skughole."

"That's perfect!" Now you felt hope return to you. This just may be the planet you could leave the baby in, a safe place where no Imperials, hunters, or any sort of danger could locate you. The Child caught your attention as it babbled, raising his little hands at you to pick him up. You brought him into your arms, giving him a soft smile.

"Yeah," Mando nodded as he turned his seat to face you and The Child. "You ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a couple of months, you little womp rat?" The Child showed his mini baby teeth at Mando as he cooed in response.

"You sure it's completely safe?" you questioned. Having another encounter like the one back on Corellia was definitely unwanted, and hopefully wouldn't reoccur. "What if a hunter finds us there again?"

His helmet tilted up to face you, and for a second you thought you could see his gaze through the darkness of his visor but as your eyes searched for them you failed to find anything but the dull blackness. "I'll protect you."

You smirked, "I think I can do that myself."

Up ahead, the planet of Sorgan came into view and, man, did it look beautiful. From afar you could spot the plenty of water sources and lush greenery past the clouds that covered them. Already you couldn't wait to land and finally walk on stable ground. When Mando took the ship in closer to land, you weren't disappointed. Abundant forests, freshwater lakes and rivers, gorgeous mountains ahead, and the best part was there was little to no civilization except for a couple of villages here and there. There couldn't be a more perfect place to leave The Child in.

The engines hissed as Mando landed the ship on the ground, and you observed as The Child's ears perked up, cooing excitedly at the sight of his new surroundings. "I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna look around," Mando stated as he worked on the control panel to power off the ship. "It shouldn't take too long."

"I'm going, too," you countered. Mando shook his head as he stood from the pilot's chair. Now he towered over you, his helmet dipping down for him to see you and you found yourself having to tip your head up to be able to face him directly. You wondered if he was always this tall... or perhaps it was that you've never stood this close to him before. A little too close, it seemed, though neither of you backed away from each other.

"No, you stay here with The Child." He stepped away from you and headed towards the ladder, back into the hull of the ship. "I don't know what's out there."

Reluctant to give up, you trailed behind him with The Child still secure in your arms. "Mando, I'm not staying." The two of you now stood in front of the ramp, his visor turning to face you as he waited for you to give up already. You weren't though, and you brought your hand up to press on the button, the ramp hissing as it lowered itself.

He let out a sigh as he shook his head again though this time he wasn't declining. "What the hell, come on."

You allowed a content smile escape your lips as you followed Mando, stepping off the ramp and walking on. The Child struggled to get out of your arms and explore, despite your protests he continued. You decided for now it'll be alright as long as you kept a watchful eye on him.

Taking a breath of crisp, fresh air, you continued along the needle-covered path. As you took a look around, you were amazed by the beauty of the planet -- the climate was perfect, trees encircled around you were filled with green leaves, the sound of the birds chirping and frogs croaking was certainly relaxing. You weren't sure how long it had been since you landed on a planet as pretty as this. Nature surrounded you as you made your way through the forest and towards a hut visible in a short distance.

When the three of you entered the large hut, your attention was instantly caught by the food. After having to ration your food for weeks so you wouldn't have to stop for supplies so often, you longed for a real meal. The scent of cooking, grilling, toasting; it all made your stomach rumble and your mouth water. You hadn't realized how hungry you were until now.

The Child's attention was caught by a loth-cat -- you weren't sure what it was doing here instead of it's home planet on Lothal-- so immediately his tendency was to investigate the unfamiliar creature. But when he only received a hostile snarl from the loth-cat, The Child squealed in fright and immediately turned to catch up with you and Mando.

You spotted an available empty table and stepped over there to take it. As Mando lifted The Child up onto one of the chairs, you took a seat and soon after Mando took the chair next to you. Straight away, a waitress came over, a wide smile on her fave as she made her way towards your table. "Welcome, travelers," she greeted. "Can I interest you in anything?"

"Bone broth for the little one," Mando said.

"Oh, well, you're in luck. I just took down a grinjer so there's plenty," the waitress explained, then she looked at the two of you expectantly. "Can I interest either of you in a porringer of broth as well?"

He shook his head in response, though you gladly accepted the offer.

"That one over there," Mando stopped the woman just before she turned to leave. "When did she arrive?"

You traced where Mando's visor was facing at to find a woman at the other end of the hut, who's gaze was facing towards the three of you. Once she saw your eyes were on her, she averted her stare and faced someplace else. Now you were confused, wondering why Mando was curious about her. Did they recognize each other? Were they friends? Enemies, perhaps? Your eyes flickered back up to the waitress.

"I've seen her here for the past week or so," she answered, placing a hand on her hip.

"What's her business here?" Mando asked.

"Business? Oh, well, there's not much business in Sorgan so I can't say," she chuckled. Her face lit up when Mando placed a few extra credits on the table for her to take, "She doesn't strike me as a log runner. Well, thank you, sir!"

During your distraction with the waitress, you hadn't realized the stranger had suddenly disappeared and now you felt unease settle in. You weren't sure if Mando had realized yet, since he was still indulged in conversation with the waitress.

"I will get those broths to you as soon as possible and I will throw in a flagon of spotchka just for good measure." Just before she left, she added, "I will be right back with that."

"Stay here," he told you as soon as he noticed the woman in the booth ahead had left. Before you had any time to question him, he stood and exit the hut. Now you were left sitting at the table along with The Child, wondering why he so urgently needed to find this stranger. You hoped she wouldn't bring anymore trouble than you already have. If it weren't for The Child here, you would've followed along with him.

After waiting for some time, concern took over your emotions when Mando hadn't returned from his search for the stranger. The waitress now came over with two piping hot broth bowls in her hands, gladly placing it down on the table for the two of you. "Here you go! Can I get you anything else?"

"Watch the kid, please," you responded just before standing from your seat and heading towards the exit Mando had taken. As much as you would've loved to stay inside and eat your broth to fill your empty stomach, you couldn't help but feel worried for Mando. Could something have occurred to him?

Wait. Were you really worried for him?

The sounds of punches being thrown caught your attention, your hand finding its way to your holster instinctively. Quietly, you turned a corner just in time for a fight between Mando and the dark-haired stranger to have ceased. Now Mando lay on his back, his blaster faced at her behind him while she lay on her belly doing the same, both seemingly breathless from their previous battle. That's when you noticed the tattoo on the woman's arm, a familiar one you've seen plenty of times on people who served in the Galactic Civil Wad as a Rebel before the Empire fell.

Their heads turn to face you and The Child who had followed you without your consent. What a good caretaker the waitress was.

Confusion etched the woman's features as she caught sight of the green child standing next to you, sipping from the bone broth in his bowl. Mando's visor was fixed on you, he noticed your hand had slipped the blaster out of your holster, unknowing whether or not the woman was a threat. "Want some soup?" Mando asked the unknown woman, and you took it as your cue to place your blaster back in its place as she was no longer a danger to you three.

After the three of you head back to your table alongside the stranger, she began telling you her story. Mando listened to her intently, The Child seemed to be paying attention as well, and you sat quietly as you drank from your bone broth to fill your stomach. Cara Dune was the woman's name. Just as you concluded before, she was previously a shock-trooper who worked with the Rebel Alliance.

"How'd you end up here?" Mando asked.

She seemed to hesitate for a second before answering, "Let's just call it an early retirement." There was a silence as she took a sip from her bowl. "Look, I knew you were Guild," she admitted. "I figured you had a fob on me. That's why I came at you so hard."

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Mando said.

"Well, this has been a real treat," Cara stood from her seat, "but unless you wanna go another round, one of us is gonna have to move on, and I was here first." Just before she walked off, she took one last sip from her soup and placed it on the table.

There was a silence. Then, "Well, looks like this planet's taken."

Now any hope you had diminished, and just the thought of having to return to the ship for who knows how long made you sigh in frustration. His visor turned to you before he placed a gloved hand on your shoulder, "Sorry."

"It's fine," you said, but Mando noticed the disappointed laced in your voice. "We should probably head back now, didn't you have to work on some repairs?"

During the weeks you spent floating out in space, you would encounter other bounty hunters in their ships searching for you guys. That definitely took a toll on the ship. Though luckily, Mando flew the Crest incredibly well and would lose the hunters eventually.

Mando nodded in agreement at your suggestion and eventually you head back to the ship. Once The Child caught sight of the ship from afar, he began to try to wriggle out of your arms but you kept him close to you even through his protests. You understood the last thing he wanted was to stay on the ship any longer but there was no other choice. You couldn't help but feel bad to keep him contained in the ship again, for who knows how much time.

Inside the ship, you attempted to keep The Child entertained with anything that caught his attention while Mando repaired the ship. But he didn't want anything to do with being indoors, he only wanted to be outside to play. Even giving him the metal ball he so loved to chew on did nothing in your effort to keep him calm. You even tried to get him to sleep so you could head out and help Mando with the repairs, though he didn't seem tired whatsoever. Eventually, you gave up and decided to take The Child out at least for a short amount of time.

"Where are you going?" Mando questioned as he came out from under the ship, making his way towards you.

"I'm just going to have a walk around with him," you answered, placing the Child down on the ground. "He won't stop complaining and he just wants to play outside."

His hand gripped your arm softly before you went any further, "No, I— I don't think—"

"He'll be fine, Mando," you reassured him. "I can defend him if anything happens."

For a moment, he hesitated. Then he let go of your arm, "Just be careful. Don't go too far."

You nodded before turning your attention back to the Child who had already wandered off into the bushes as he explored the greenery. You made sure to stick closely to him and have your weapons ready in their place in case something were to happen. Though you doubted anything would happen on such a peaceful planet, you still had to be alert and ready to defend The Child as well as yourself.

Meanwhile, Mando returned on working on the Crest. He knew you would take good care of the Child — he was actually beginning go trust you though he wouldn't admit it, knowing now you were wanted by the Imperials and the Guild as well so bringing The Child back to them would do nothing in return for you. But he couldn't help but feel slight concern not just for The Child but for you, whether he wanted to or not. You were part of his crew now so he felt the need to protect you even though you could do that just fine by yourself.

Soon, the sun began to set and the warm air began to feel chilly as the light began disappearing from the horizon. The skies were painted in beautiful colors of red, yellow, and orange and the stars were just starting to become visible. You and the Child hadn't returned to the ship just yet and that only added to Mando's anxiety. He contemplated on whether or not he should go search for you. He knew you couldn't have gone too far — you were smart enough to know that it could get dangerous. Hopefully you should be returning back by now before nightfall came and who knows what creatures lurk here in the dark come out. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to you and the Child.

Just as he was finishing up the repairs on the ship, he decided he'd go and have a look in case something were to have occurred. He head off into the same direction you left in, following the footprints of your boots and The Child's little feet with his heat vision toggled on in his helmet. For a while, he followed the tracks but couldn't spot either of you anywhere. Now they were beginning to fade away, he felt unsettled now. Cursing to himself, he had no choice but to continue in hopes of finding you. He knew he shouldn't have let you go.

Suddenly, the footprints were no more were out of sight. He contemplated on if he should start calling for you but he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention from anyone or anything lurking out here. He sighed in frustration, backing up a bit to take another look at the tracks and make sure there really weren't anymore. When he felt something bump into his back, he whirled around abruptly and his blaster was out in his hand in a split second. His gaze met with the well-known barrel of another blaster pointed right at his visor, but when he saw the familiar face he lowered his and placed it back in his holster, sighing a breath of relief.

"Mando," you breathed, putting your weapon away. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he apologized and he placed one of his hands on your shoulder again to examine you and The Child in your arms to see if you had any injuries, any signs that anything had happened. "What happened? Did you get hurt?"

"No, nothing happened," you replied, noting the concern in his tone. "I was just heading back."

"I told you not to go too far," he recalled as the two of you began walking back to the ship, your shoulders brushing past each other ever so slightly. "I thought something happened to you guys."

"Oh, so you were worried?" You looked up at him and smirked, though his visor remained looking forward instead of facing you.

"Yes, I was worried," he answered. An unfamiliar heat grew from his face to his neck and he wondered why he was getting so flustered. Times like these he was glad he wore a helmet to cover his face, hiding his real emotions. "About... The Child, of course."

"Oh? Not about me?" You teased. But you knew he wasn't finding this funny at all. He didn't reply to you and the rest of the walk was just complete silence. Until you reached the Crest and he stopped in his tracks, his visor turning to face you and you halted along with him. "What?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment as he chose his words carefully. Then, "Yes, I was worried about you."

Well, you definitely didn't expect that.

You opened your mouth to say something but was interrupted when you caught sight of a couple of unfamiliar men mounted on a speeder. Instantly, you brought your hand to your blaster and kept The Child hugged closely to you. His ears flattened as it felt you and Mando worried and turn to the defensive. The men didn't seem hostile, you noted, but that was no reason to not be alert.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Mando asked them as they hopped off their vehicle and came walking towards the two of you. When you saw there were no weapons on them, only one of them carrying a bag in their hands and the other holding a lamp, you visibly relaxed and Mando did as well.

"Yeah. Raiders."

You immediately knew you didn't want anything to do with this, trouble would evidently find you.

"We have money," said the other one when he noticed the skepticism on your face.

"So, you think we're some kind of mercenaries?" Mando concluded.

The two looked at each other before facing you and Mando again. "You are a Mandalorian, right?"

"Or at least wearing Mandalorian armor," said the other one. "That is Mandalorian armor, right?"

"It is." Though Mando continued uninterested and left the conversation to head towards the ship.

"See? I told him," one of the men said to the other, though the other seemed to be interested in something else...

"You're a Jedi!" He observed. Your eyes widened when you gazed down at your hip to see that as you carried the Child, your jacket had lifted up, revealing your lightsaber. "That's a Jedi's... you know, lightsaber, right?"

Instantly, you covered it up with your jacket, shooting them a glare, "No, it's not and I'm not a Jedi." Anger rose up in your veins but you knew it wasn't your fault they found out. It was yours.

"Look, we have money," the other stated yet again. They seemed pretty desperate for help, and while they continued to try to convince you guys you left towards the ship though you remained outside to listen in.

"How much?" Mando asked though he kept is uninterested tone.

"Everything we have. Our whole harvest was stolen."

"Krill," the other explained. "We're krill farmers."

"We brew spotchka, our whole village chipped in."

Mando turned from what he was examining on the ship to look at the two men, and for a moment you thought he was actually considering the offer. "It's not enough."

"Are you sure? You don't even know what the job is."

"I know it's not enough, good luck," he dismissed them as he continued examining the ship, though they followed closely behind him. You had to admit, you felt bad for them but you and Mando were in a tight situation right now and helping them would most likely bring difficulties. That's the last thing you needed.

"This is everything we have," the man carrying credits inside the bag said. The two were getting more urgent by the second. "We'll give you more after the next harvest."

The two shuffled back when the ramp of the Crest hissed loudly as it lowered down to the ground. Now the men seemed to have given up, looking at each other with the face of defeat. "Come on. Let's head back." They looked at Mando, then at you to see if either of you would reconsider. But when they were only met with silence, they began heading back to their speeder.

"Took us a whole day to get here. Now we have to ride back with no protection to the middle of nowhere."

You and Mando were already heading up the ramp of the ship but when you heard that last phrase... now that caught your attention. You turned around with interest — the middle of nowhere is just what you needed. Mando turned around as well, he looked at you and you could tell with the way he tilted his helmet that he felt the same. His visor turned to the men, "Where do you live?"

"On a farm," one responded, and you could see the hope return to them. "Weren't you listening? We're farmers."

"In the middle of nowhere?" They confirmed. Then, "You have lodging?"

"Yeah, absolutely!"

He looked at you once again as if waiting for your approval, and when you nodded he told the men to help him pack up your stuff onto their sled. Now you felt optimistic -- if this really was such an isolated place, it would be perfect for The Child. He'd be completely safe, you could return to your bounty hunting and perhaps even visit him every once in a while. Once you had The Child placed on the speeder, you helped the men place Mando's belongings in the speeder. It took some time but soon you were ready to leave, though Mando suggested he could use some help against these raiders.

When Mando left to invite someone else to the crew, you returned to the speeder and took a seat next to The Child. His eyes were droopy and you could tell he would fall asleep soon,. Having walked and played around in the forest for a few hours must've taken his energy. That was a good thing — after those restless weeks spent in the ship, he's sleep like a rock tonight. So as you waited for Mando to return with the new recruitment, you allowed a content sigh escape your lips as you thought about how this could be the right place for The Child. Where he would be safe and joyful.

Then everything would go back to normal.


	8. The Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you settle into your temporary home on Sorgan, you and Mando try to conceal what dangerous emotions are developing.

"So, we're basically running off a band of raiders for lunch money?"

After Mando recruited Cara to the crew, you set off in the speeder towards the village the men had promised to take you. It was completely dark now that the sun had set, the bright moon illuminating overhead and providing some light. Other than that, the villagers brought a lamp, presenting a bit more visibility as you traveled. You were seated next to Mando, your shoulders brushing against each other due to the limited space. The Child lay between you and Mando, his little head resting on Mando's lap as he gazed up at the stars ahead. Cara sat across the three of you, indulging in conversation.

"They're quartering us in the middle of nowhere," Mando explained. "Last I checked, that's a pretty square deal for somebody in your position."

"Besides, if this place really is as safe and isolated as they told us it is, we'll leave the kid there," you added. "Mando and I will be off this planet and out of your way soon enough."

Mando nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we're a deterrent. I can't imagine there's anything in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn't handle."

Cara remained quiet, though her expression seemed like she was convinced into giving you guys a hand against these raiders. You felt Mando shift from beside you as he got comfortable in his seat, and you were surprised when he placed an arm behind you as he leaned back. A warm sensation creeped up on you at your closeness to him; you hoped nobody noticed the growing redness on your face. 

Were you really blushing because of Mando, of all people?

His gloved hand brushed so softly against your shoulder that if you hadn't been paying attention, you wouldn't even have realized it was there. Part of you wanted to pull away but strangely enough, you kept yourself in place. Close to him you felt safe, comfortable. It was an unusual feeling. Though you wouldn't dare say anything about it to Mando.

Everyone seemed to be falling asleep now, even The Child as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Cara's eyes eventually drooped closed after a moment, and noting how Mando wouldn't move at all you assumed he was asleep as well. Now that left you being the only person awake, though you refused to go to sleep. You weren't exactly tired, and an you had an uneasiness going on being on an unknown planet. Though the men remained awake and would've warned you whether there was danger lurking around these times, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes alert in case anything were to occur. 

"You should get some sleep."

Mando's modulated voiced startled you a bit after the moments of silence. You had a feeling he wasn't asleep just yet. It seemed he was waiting for you to doze off first before he did. Could it be he didn't trust you yet? After all that time spent together, alone in his ship you would've thought he at least trusted you a little. You had kept awake while Mando slept before, what is the difference now?

Your eyes flickered to gaze directly into the dark visor that kept trained on you, "I'm not tired."

He didn't respond, his helmet turned to face up instead of you again, though you had a feeling he wasn't drifting off anytime soon. You thought about certain details that needed to be solved between you and him. Now would probably be the best time with the rest asleep. A tense silence took over, and when you moved you peered over at him again, you waited for him to turn to you to confirm he was still awake. He did — and you swore you could see the outline of his face through the black T-visor in the light of the lamp hanging overhead. Then it disappeared almost instantly as he shifted his head slightly.

"Mando."

He hummed in response.

"I'm sorry about... before."

"I said it was fine."

That was a lie — you weren't fully convinced just yet.

You sighed. "No, Mando. I shouldn't have said — or even thought that. You're not heartless, not to me. You helped rescue the kid, you patched me up when I was injured, worried about me when I was gone too long. You— you're actually really... sweet."

Kriff. You did not just say that. A burning heat crawled up onto your cheeks, and you tried to conceal it by looking away. Hopefully in the darkness Mando wouldn't notice.

He tilted his helmet. "You think I'm sweet?"

"I— uh..." you struggled to find your words for a second before giving up and letting out a sigh. "Look, just promise me that when you say 'it's okay' that you actually mean it. That you won't ignore me like you did back on the ship.

He was quiet for a moment, his visor aimed directly on you. Then, "I promise... Cyar'ika."

You looked back at him, your expression showing your curiosity clearly. But before you could ask about what he said, he interrupted you with a "Good night" and dipped his helmet back to doze off. Now that left you interested — what does that even mean. Maybe he was flipping you off in Mando'a or something, you had no clue. Or perhaps it was a good thing? 

Whatever it meant, you were sure to ask him if he called you that again. Deciding you'd bothered him enough, after moments of hesitation you reclined back to get some shut-eye in case you were to need your energy for tomorrow, unknowing of what was to come. But when your head met with something firm and rigid, you realized Mando still had his arm slung behind your shoulder.

Shuffling a bit, you attempted to find comfort but couldn't seem to find a good spot with the beskar vambrace digging into the back of your head. Mando seemed to have fallen asleep already, or else he most likely would've moved. Maybe he's doing it on purpose, you didn't know. So you chose to scoot closer to Mando, placing your head on his bicep where no armor covered it and it was just the soft fabric of his clothes. Now you were comfortable. Plus, he seemed to radiate plenty of body heat so that kept you warm in the cold of the night. Closing your eyes, you allowed yourself some rest.

By the time you woke in the morning, you already arrived at the village. Cheers and shouts of children filled your ears as they dashed towards the speeder, Mando and Cara stirring awake due to all the noise and commotion. The Child had awaken a while ago, and he prattled excitedly as he watched the children, who's attentions were all on him. Surely they have never seen a green bean such as this one.

"Well, looks like they're excited to see us," Mando commented.

Cara agreed, "Looks like."

Noticing how thrilled the baby was with the children around him, you grinned softly at him. All the kids giggled as they greeted and welcomed him to their village; you already knew he would fit in nicely here. Suddenly aware of how close you still were to Mando, you caught his eyes — or, rather his visor — for a split second before pulling away. You stood from your seat and hopped off the speeder alongside the rest of the team.

You surveyed the sight ahead of you, spotting the multiple huts scattered around everywhere. Trees surrounded the village serving as protection, lush grass occupied every piece of free land, and countless compact lakes which undoubtedly contained krill the villagers harvested to earn their livings. The village was gorgeous, and gave off a safe, peaceful vibe and you were absolutely certain The Child would love it here. If you had the chance, you would even consider moving here and starting a new life. Though that was nearly impossible for you and you recognized you had to return to bounty hunting afterwards. It was your life, what you were meant to do.

The villagers assisted you guys in settling into a hut they had ready for you, bringing the numerous crates from the speeder inside. You and Mando walked in on a woman within the hut, her long dark hair flowing behind her back as she set to open one of the windows. Her eyes flickered to the two of you, noting the boxes you carried in your hands.

"Please, come in," she welcomed you. You both stepped into the hut, placing down the crates on the floor. "I hope this is comfortable for you guys. Sorry that all we have is this barn."

"It'll do just fine," you reassured her. The Child waddled into the hut, cooing curiously at his new surroundings.

"I stacked some blankets over there," the woman gestures to the corner of the hut where you caught sight of the blankets, folded and set in a neat pile on the floor.

"Thank you. That's very kind," Mando said as he unstrapped the pulse rifle from his back. Your heart jumped in your chest when Mando suddenly whirled around towards the entrance defensively, your hand instantly finding its way to the blaster on your hip. Though when you confirmed that there was no threat, that it was just a girl who's gotten startled as well, you visibly relaxed and so did Mando. Your new host called for the girl, bringing her into the hut as she embraced her closely. The girl seemed terrified and you couldn't help but feel bad for the first impression you made on her.

"This is my daughter, Winta. We don't get a lot of visitors around here. She's not used to strangers," she explained, caressing the top of her daughter's head with her hand. She then spoke softly to her, "These nice people are going to help protect us from the bad ones."

At those words, the girl's expression changed and she no longer seemed as frightened as before. "Thank you."

"Winta, sorry for scaring you," you apologized. She gave you a small smile in response. Your eyes flickered up to her mother, "And what's your name?"

"Omera."

"It's nice to meet you both," you grinned thankfully.

Omera nodded, turning to face her daughter as she held her hand and began stepping out of the hut. "Come on, Winta. Let's give our guests some room."

When they left, you took your time examining your new temporary home. There was a difference from the other huts from what you could see; others had more room for belongings and seemed like people lived in them. Of course, you understood why since you came on such short notice and there were no empty huts left. You didn't mind either — it's shelter and that's all you needed. There were two cots on opposite sides of the hut for you and Mando. Then there was a crib in the center for The Child, and you were certain it was handmade by the villagers.

Then your mind wandered to Mando, and how he would be able to sleep in the same hut as you without taking his helmet off. Perhaps he had done it before but it must be uncomfortable, right? Plus, you weren't even sure if he trusted you enough to take off the rest of his armor in front of you.

"Is this fine for you?" Mando asked. He stepped closer until he stood directly in front of you.

"Yeah, this is great." Your eyes searched for his under the visor for a split second, though you knew you'd never see them. "But wouldn't you want a hut to yourself?"

He tilted his helmet at you. "No, why? Do you?"

"No, I just thought that you'd want to be alone so you could sleep and eat comfortably. Since you can't take your helmet off in front of me."

Wow. You're actually worrying for Mando.

"I'll manage."

You were actually quite surprised. Maybe he did trust you after all, even if it were only a small amount of it.

After some time passed while you settled into the hut, Omera returned announcing a meal being placed outside to welcome the arrival of their new protectors. You obviously accepted but Mando chose to stay behind along with The Child, and he told you he might join later. Leaving the hut, you head off to the center of the village where there seemed to be the most commotion. Numerous villagers gathered around, a few chairs scattered around for people to sit and converse while eating, then a table filled with various types of foods. You even spotted Cara already eating on one of the chairs.

Having eaten earlier in the day already when the villagers offered some food, you weren't exactly hungry yet. So you settled for some delicious-smelling soup which contained pieces of meat and vegetables. As soon as you filled your bowl, you took a seat next to Cara who seemed to already be halfway done with her meal. The two of you greeted each other as you sat sown and started eating from your bowl of soup.

"So," Cara began, "how do you like it here?"

"This place is great," you answered. "The mountains are lovely, landscape is gorgeous — it's so peaceful here. I'm sure the kid is gonna love it here."

"So you and your Mandalorian decided you're gonna leave him here?"

Hold on. Your Mandalorian? That's new. No, he was definitely not yours. Sure, you guys weren't enemies anymore, more like... acquaintances. That's it... right?

"He'a not... my Mandalorian."

Cara raised a brow. "You sure? "Cause you two were sleeping pretty close to each other last night."

You found yourself at a loss for words for a moment. "Well, there wasn't much space on the speeder."

"And not to mention you're staying in the same hut. I'm sure the villagers could've arranged something."

She was right. You could've found another hut to stay in — maybe Cara's, or Omera's. Heck, you could've even camped outside, there was no problem with that. Yet you chose to stay with Mando, and he decided the same. But why? You couldn't find an answer to the question.

"Come on, you can tell me," she said when you didn't respond, a smirk plasters on her face. "I can keep secrets, you know."

You shook your head. "There's nothing to tell."

"Fine, but don't expect me to fully believe that." She stood from her seat, having already finished eating. Before walking off, she added with a smirk, "I'm rooting for you guys."

Now pensive about the conversation, you wondered if you and Mando actually seemed like you were together. Is that what the rest of the villagers thought when they first saw you? He wasn't yours and you weren't his. There were no feelings... at least, not too many feelings on your part. Yes, you cared for him. But that was it. Even though you used to be enemies, your care for him sneaked into your emotions and you couldn't seem to do anything about it. You only cared for him, as he did for you.

Meanwhile, Mando stayed in the hut, cleaning his weapons as The Child babbled in his new crib. It had been a couple of hours since you left to eat and while Mando was starving, he knew he couldn't go out there to eat unless he took his helmet off. And the delicious scent of the food outside only caused his hunger to get worse. But he knew he could hold it in; after all, he'd gone longer without eating anyway.

"Knock, knock."

He immediately recognized the voice of Omera. "Come in."

Turning, he faced the woman who stepped into the hut, gently placing down a tray filled with food for him. Perfect, just what he needed. Her daughter followed closely, holding something in her hands. Omera smiled up at him — he had to admit it was a wonderful sight. The way her smile complimented her face and her instant hospitality for her new visitors made him smitten with her at first glance. Though he knew he shouldn't catch any sort of feeling towards her, whether they were big or small.

Not like he did with you.

"Can I feed him?"

Mando broke out of his thoughts, looking down at the girl who'd asked him the question. "Sure," he replied. He continued to clean the blaster in his hands with a rag.

The girl instantly made her way to The Child in his crib, and he watched closely. "Are you hungry?" Winta asked as she presented the piece of food in front of him. She giggled when he accepted the treat, giving him a wide grin. "Can I play with him?"

Mando let out a quiet sigh, "Sure." He picked up The Child from his crib, placing him back down on the floor for the girl to play with him. 

The girl told him to follow along with her as she sprinted out of the hut, and he cooed excitedly as he waddled out as well. Mando went to stop him, knowing it probably wasn't a good idea to let him go out on an unfamiliar planet. No matter the protests he put up, Omera insisted on letting them go. Finally, he gave up and decided that since she lived here, she should know of any dangers that could come to him.

"I brought you some food," Omera stated, gazing up into his visor, tilting her head in sympathy. "I noticed you didn't eat out there. I'll leave it for when I go."

Maker, is she wonderful.

He nodded thankfully, "That's very thoughtful of you." He then returned to the table to where he left his blaster, returning to wiping it with a rag. Though Omera didn't leave yet, she remained in place quietly as she thought of her words.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Go ahead."

For a second, she hesitated, blinking a few times. Then, "How long has it been since you've taken that off?"

"Yesterday."

"I mean, in front of someone else."

His visor looked out the window to where The Child and the kids played around. He lifted a finger at them, "I wasn't much older than they are."

Her brows furrowed as she looked up at him, "You haven't shown your face to anyone since you were a kid?"

"No. I was happy that they took me in. My parents were killed and the Mandalorians took care of me."

Her eyes showed visible empathy towards him. "I'm sorry."

"This is The Way," he simply said.

In the meantime, you head back to your hut with your belly full and satisfied. But you stopped in your tracks in front of the entrance when you spotted Mando and Omera speaking to each other inside. A pang of an unfamiliar feeling hit when you noticed how close they were to each other, though you had no clue what as to what you could possibly be feeling.

"Let us know if there's anything you need," Omera said before stepping out of the hut.

"Thank you," Mando replied. 

When she spotted you, she nodded at you in greeting before heading off into the village. Your gaze fell to Mando, and no matter how hard you tried, seeing his gaze lingering a little too long than it normally would made your heart ache. You hated the feeling — it was dangerous. It had to stop, and it will..

Your eyes moved to the empty crib to where The Child was supposed to be as you entered the hut, and when you saw he wasn't around you began to worry. "Where's The Child?"

You followed Mando's finger as he pointed outside the window to where you spotted The Child giggling along with the rest of the village's children, running around as they played. You instantly felt relief to see he was alright, then your gaze turned to Mando, who's visor was facing down at you. You tried to push aside the feeling that hung to you at the previous sight but found yourself failing.

"We should probably check out what's going on with the raiders before the sun sets," you suggested.

He nodded, "I agree. The sooner we're done with them then we get off this planet faster." Then he gestured to the tray filled with food placed on a table, which you assumed Omera had brought for him. "But can I eat first?"

"Yeah, yeah," you agreed. "I'll leave, then. Just meet Cara and I out when you're ready."

You smiled at him before exiting the hut. But as soon as your face was out of his sight, your smile dropped and you allowed a quiet sigh to escape. You shouldn't have developed anything towards him though inevitably did. When or how it happened, you had no answer to that. Somehow, despite how you despised him recently it happened. During the weeks spent together stuck on his ship, even when you barely spoke, you developed feelings. And now you can't find a way to get rid of them. The only way was to leave and never see him again. Which meant you'd have to deal with these raiders quickly.

That way all that care and emotions would disappear.


	9. The Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The decision to train the villagers to help against the raiders was made, and you contemplate on whether you should leave sooner than expected or not.

The three of you trekked peacefully through the lush greenery without speaking to each other whatsoever, calmly searching for any clue of the raiders who've been invading the village. The sounds of the birds chirping and singing in the background, wind blowing softly against you, leaves rustling in the trees — you felt completely relaxed. Like you found your serenity, yet there was still a sense of uneasiness and you assumed it was because you were anxious to find out what you were going up against. You made a promise to the villagers you'd protect them from the raiders, but unfortunately promises can't all be kept and whether you could keep this one or not, you were about to find out.

Setting all that aside, this was the ideal place you would live in, and it was _perfect_ for The Child. Hopefully, you could deal with these invaders quickly and you could decide with Mando whether the baby would stay here or not. Certainly, you were going to miss him — all that time spent caring, feeding, playing with him caused you to get attached easily. But you knew it was what you had to do; if you brought him on your hunts, he would be in danger much too often for your comfort and he simply wouldn't live a good life like that. It was best for him here. It was safe and tranquil. Besides, you'd be allowed to visit him any time, whenever you had the chance.

Suddenly, Mando came to a stop and he examined the ground. With his helmet's heat vision settings toggled on, he would be able to find any recent footsteps and you hoped that was what he located.

"You found something?" You questioned. He pressed a couple buttons on his vambrace before lifting a finger out in front of you.

"About fifteen or twenty of them came here on foot," he observed. You studied the dirt closely, spotting the many boot tracks spread across the ground. Then a bunch of split branches caught your attention, which you found was... odd. "And something big seared off those branches."

You brought your gaze up, discerning the trees up ahead who's branched were snapped off. It didn't seem natural at all, and you felt unease settle in your stomach. "That's not normal," you observed. "Someone — or _something_ — did that."

In hopes of finding any sort of clue to what caused that, you continued on until coming upon one enormous, unfamiliar track. This didn't come from a person, or animal. No, it came from a machine. You crouched down alongside Mando and Cara, inspecting the track intentively.

"AT-ST," Cara recognized.

When she said it, it immediately came to mind and now you recognized it. The AT-ST was commonly used by the Imperials before the Empire supposedly 'fell.' You wondered what it was doing _here_ of all places, and how the hell these raiders even obtained on of these. A pit in your stomach grew knowing very well what you were up against now. You weren't just going against a band of raiders, but a machine built for war that could effortlessly destroy an entire village if fallen into the wrong hands. 

"Imperial walker," Mando noted. "What's it doing here?"

"I don't know," Cara answered. You stood along with the rest, releasing a frustrated sigh. Staring ahead, you found what seemed like a path of destruction the walker caused. Trees were bent in awkward ways, multiple of them even collapsed to the ground while tracks beyond. "This is more than I signed up for."

"I know we made a promise to the villagers but we can't go up against this," you said, a defeated tone in your voice. "If we even attempt to bring this thing down, we're all dead. The villagers can't stay here any longer."

Even through the distortion of his voice modulator, you could hear the short sigh Mando let out. "I know. We're gonna have to let them know." 

While you acknowledged the villagers would certainly be disappointed once you gave them the bad news, you knew there was no other choice. The villagers had to understand and comprehend that it's impossible for just the three of you to go against an AT-ST. Despite your experience in combat, neither of you were anywhere near prepared to go against one. So it was either that, or die trying to go against this walker. And you definitely weren't going to attempt that. As much as you hated the way you sounded like a mother now, you had a child to worry about. You couldn't risk leaving him without making sure this was the correct place for him. 

Sorgan was a large planet — maybe not the most ginormous but it had plenty enough spaces for the villagers to settle down again. Sure, it will take time and effort but of course you, Mando, and Cara were there to help. That was what you agreed to do, as long as The Child had a new home. Eventually, if all seemed to be going well, you would leave the kid and return to your bounty hunting.

And, who knows? Perhaps Sorgan could be your new base. Everyone on Corellia knew about your doings back on Nevarro, so obviously you needed a better place to keep your belongings and come back to whenever you needed your rest. Sorgan was a great option, especially since you'd be able to visit The Child more often. You could check up on how his fresh, new life was going. You were sure he would miss you just as you would, and he would undoubtedly miss Mando as well. You were like his parents.

Now, would you and Mando miss each other?

Well, some questions were better left unanswered. 

On your way back to the village, you and Mando walked near each other, a little closer than you should be but neither of you minded at all. Your shoulders brushed against each other with every step taken, and you found yourself wanting to lean into his touch more but instantly refraining yourself as soon as you caught sight of Cara. She held a smirk on her face and you knew exactly why. In an instant, you averted your gaze and slowly, but gradually pulled away from Mando without him noticing. Why you were getting so flustered you had no clue, because you had nothing with Mando. Nothing at all. Maybe you were just embarrassed. 

Once you got back to the village, all the villagers gathered around your hut and eagerly ready to hear about any news. Unfortunately, they were bad news and whether they liked it or not, they were going to have to listen to your suggestions. They out all their trust in you three to get rid of the invaders, and you couldn't help but feel bad for giving them these news. But it was what's best for them. Nothing could be done about this situation, only moving to another spot would solve the issue.

"Bad news. You can't live here anymore."

Murmuring filled your ears, they all obviously seemed unhappy but weren't giving up. They most likely thought that with the three of you teamed up, you could easily defeat the raiders. Well, that would've been the case id there wasn't an Imperial walker involved.

"Nice bedside manner," Cara commented.

You agreed — he could've let them down a little easier than that. But that's Mando for you.

"You think you could do better?" Mando asked.

"Can't do much worse."

You stood next to Mando, allowing for Cara go step up and explain to the crowd the problem. Maybe reasoning with them a bit would convince them to leave, but they seemed to be a pretty stubborn village so it would take some time and effort.

"I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, but there are no other options."

"But you took the job!" one of the villagers protested.

"That was before we knew about the AT-ST."

Confusion etched each and every one of the villagers' features at hearing the unfamiliar word. They probably had no idea what it was or what it could do, but they should know its impossible to go against.

"What is that?"

"The armored walker with two enormous guns that you knew about and didn't tell us."

They continued on with their protests, voicing about how you'd taken the job, that you should be able to help them. And you wanted to, you really did but it just wasn't within your reach to be able to do it. You looked over at Mando, and the look of sympathy on your face for the villagers did not go unnoticed by him. He only tilted his helmet, shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'there's nothing that can be done.'

"We have nowhere to go," Omera said.

"Sure you do," Cara countered. "This is a big planet. I mean, I've seen a lot smaller."

"My grandparents seeded these ponds," a villager stepped up. 

The rest agreed. "It took generations," another added.

"I understand. I do, but there are only three of us."

"If the three of us go against an AT-ST, we'll all be dead in a matter of minutes," you added in hopes of that being able to convince them. "That'll leave you with no protectors, and you're gonna have to leave anyway."

"It's not only the three of you," said a villager. "There's at least twenty here."

You recognized what they were insinuating — that they assist you guys in taking down the walker. But you knew these villagers had little, if not no training or knowledge at all about combat. If they did, they wouldn't be begging you guys to help them right now. Bringing a bunch of untrained villagers into battle would be a disaster and would only make things worse for them.

"I mean fighters! Be realistic," Cara said. The villagers continued to insist about how they could help, and it seemed they weren't going to back down anytime soon. "I've seen that thing take out entire companies of soldiers in a matter of minutes."

You stepped up next to Cara, all the attention on you know. A serious look on your face, you gazed at the crowd ahead of you. "We are _not_ going to risk your lives to go against these raiders. Like Cara said, trained soldiers have attempted to go against one of these only for them to be annihilated almost instantly. Now imagine bringing in a small group of people with no armor, no knowledge or experience in fighting whatsoever — that's suicide. We're not letting you do that."

You hoped that would convince them but they continued on with their stubbornness; protesting continued and all you could do was let out a sigh of frustration.

"We're not leaving," Omera said, a look of broken-heartedness clearly visible on her face.

"You _cannot_ fight that thing," Cara argued.

"Unless we show them how," Mando spoke up from behind you. 

Your turned to face Mando, an expression of doubt on your face, and Cara actually seemed to be contemplating the idea. Training would take some time, and even by the end of it it's not like they'll be fully-trained soldiers ready for anything that comes at them. That would take months — if not, years — and you didn't have that much time. But maybe it was the only choice. These villagers were headstrong and prepared to fight for their village, even if they went down with it. You signed, looking back ahead to the villagers who instantly agreed to the suggestion. Once you gave them a nod of approval, they immediately lit up and cheers broke out between them. 

Training was decided to begin the following day. For now, you, Mando, and The Child took your time to settle into your temporary home. Once night fell, you went out in search of The Child who had been playing with the children for almost the entire day. He must be tired. They were out in the same spot you saw them last time, and you were glad to see there was someone in the distance watching them — especially since it was dark. Now you knew they were in great care and supervision.

Bringing The Child into your arms, you allowed him to say his goodbyes to the children before heading back towards the hut. You couldn't contain the smile on your lips when you saw how the kid fought the urge to close his eyes and drift off in his exhaustion, cooing quietly at you as if it would maintain himself awake. Though before you reached the hut, he was already fast asleep and letting out quiet snores.

Once back in the hut, you placed The Child in his handmade crib gently, careful not to wake him. When you saw he remained asleep, you placed a blanket over his body to provide him the warmth he needed. Then you lifted your gaze — and you were surprised to see Mando had removed his armor, except for his helmet. You could see the bare skin on his neck and chest where his top failed to cover, and his hands were ungloved as opposed to how you usually saw them. His shoulders, you noticed, were broader than you expected — even without the extra layer of armor.

Even after the time spent on the ship with him, you weren't entirely certain if he was even human. But this was all the affirmation you needed. Now your mind wandered to how he appeared under that helmet. You had to admit — he had a... nice body, but how did his face look like? Was he good-looking? What color are his eyes? And his hair, was it curly or straight, blonde, black, brown? Does—

"What?"

Kriff. You were staring. Your heart accelerated a thousand times, face heating up though you hoped he didn't notice in the darkness of the hut. You visibly gulped. "Nothing... just tired." Averting your eyes from him and tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear in embarrassment, you turned your attention to anything else to get you out of thus situation. Settling for preparing your bed to sleep, you began bringing out the blankets and placing them on your bed.

But when you felt his footsteps approach closer, your heartbeat increased again and felt like it would jump out of your chest at any moment. Why the hell are you feeling this way? It was such a strange, unfamiliar sensation and you already hated the feeling of it. It's like you wanted him near you but at the same time wanted him to back off. It was inexplicable.

He was closely behind you now, causing you to stiffen up and hopefully he didn't notice. A warm hand came into contact with your shoulder, and your skin felt like it was on fire but somehow it... relaxed you. You found yourself loosening up, and there was no longer that tension in your shoulders. He'd done this multiple times yet this time it was distinct. His bare skin against yours — a remarkable feeling but a welcomed one.

"Goodnight," his modulated voice spoke softly, and you found it _so_ soothing and calming — you wanted him to speak some more, but the baby was asleep and neither of you wanted to wake him.

During your time on the Razor Crest, you'd never said a 'goodnight' to him, not even a 'good morning.' Maybe it was just that your sleeping schedule never collided, or that you still despised each other back then. It amazed you how it all changed rapidly. If you were to travel back in time to weeks ago and tell yourself how close you'd become to the Mandalorian, you wouldn't have believed it at all.

You turned to face his visor, hoping that underneath the helmet you're making eye contact with him. "Goodnight," you repeated, a gentle smile on your lips.

When he pulled his hand away and left towards his cot, you found yourself longing for his touch again. His warmth, his skin against yours, it was like you'd completely forgotten about everything happening around you for that brief moment, it just left you wanting more. But you doubted he felt the same thing you did. Shaking the thoughts out of your mind, you finished preparing your cot and climbed in under the covers. But there was still something on your mind you couldn't quite get rid of yet.

"Mando?"

"Yeah?" His voice was heard form the other side of the room, where he lay in his cot.

"You sure you don't want me to head over to another hut? I could even camp outside..."

"No," he answered quickly. "It's fine. I've slept with my helmet on plenty of times."

"But you'd be more comfortable sleeping without it, right?"

He paused for a moment, as if he was calculating his words carefully. "Yes. But I'd prefer you stay here. Your presence is... comforting. I need you safe with me."

Your heart felt like it was about to burst inside of you, and you couldn't contain the giant smile you had on. Good thing he couldn't see you from his cot right now. "Your presence is comforting to be as well, Mando."

While he wouldn't admit it, he felt a smile come across his lips underneath the beskar helmet. And without knowing it, the both of you fell asleep thinking of each other that night.

The following day, you discussed the plan along with Mando and Cara. The villagers gathered around again to hear all about your plan once it was all laid out and ready. The plan was: the villagers were going to dig a deep hole into the ground. When Mando and Cara bring the raiders out of their hiding spot, the villagers would take on the bandits while the three of you worked on getting the AT-ST to fall into the hole. Barricades would be built around the village so the raiders would have a harder time getting through. The children would be safely gathered in a hut at the far side of the village in case the raiders were to get through; though you doubted they would head to the children if they were only interested in stealing the krill.

Now onto the training. Mando handled teaching to shoot, Cara taught them how to fight with their hand-made spears, while you taught hand-to-hand combat. Having been trained for cycles in the Jedi Temple and having all your experience in bounty hunting, it would benefit them for you to at least teach them the basics to using their fists, in case they were in a situation where their weapon has been compromised.

Everyone had their tough moments during training. Some couldn't seem to get _this_ right, or _that_ correct, but eventually they got the hand of certain aspects. While they weren't exactly professionals, at least now they weren't going into battle completely untrained and inexperienced.

At one point you watched from afar as Mando taught the villagers how to shoot. While others failed to hit the targets, there was one specific person who did hit the target each time she fired — Omera. She said she had some experience shooting though you didn't know she could shoot as well as she could. Meanwhile, Mando watched her closely and intently, and while you couldn't see his face underneath that hemet, you could tell he seemed... intrigued.

And then there was that feeling again.

You diverted your gaze and attempted to push aside the dangerous emotion developing, immediately focusing on the villagers again. Sighing, you realized the this may be more serious than you previously thought, and the only way to fix it was if... you left.

Maybe it was best for you to leave. 


	10. The Vanish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando is left alone with his emotions, and he realizes he regrets what he should’ve done.

A quiet night sky hung over you, the light breeze blowing across your face as you stared beyond into the lake ahead of you. The large moon reflected blissfully off the tranquil waters, stars glistening through the foggy clouds that surrounded them. You rested silently in the grass, enveloping yourself in the serenity to calm your stress after the long, tiring day training the villagers. Already it had been several rotations since the villagers had commenced their training, and the day your attack on the raiders neared rapidly. You had to admit you were feeling quite anxious about it already. There were a million things that could go wrong, yet you could only train the villagers the best you could in hopes of defeating these invaders.

Boots crunching in the dirt filled your ears, the familiar sound of Mando's armor as he moved made you lift your gaze to see him. He took a seat next to you, your shoulders pressing against each other and even though the his beskar pauldron was cold and rigid, you didn't pull away. Instead, you wanted to lean into him more but pushed away the thought of doing so.

"What's wrong?"

With his visor trained on you, you knew he was studying you closely in concern for you. For a second you found yourself distracted with how the bright moon and stars above reflected perfectly against his smooth, shiny beskar. It did wonderful things to his armor.

"I'm tired," you admitted, offering him a smile to let him know you were okay. While it was true that you were exhausted, that wasn't exactly the only thing on your mind.

"You've been 'tired for the past week. I don't think that's the only thing bothering you."

You were afraid he'd catch onto you. After all this time spent together it seemed he recognized when you were fine, and when you weren't. Even you were beginning to do the same, though with his helmet it became more difficult.

But he was correct. Seeing these past few days, Mando seemed to grow more enamored with Omera, you couldn't help but feel bad about it. Even attempting to push aside your emotions wouldn't work, and now every single day of your life you're reminded of them. It _pained_ you. You had no idea what had gotten into you, the feeling just grew so incredibly rapid that you had no time to react. Unfortunately, until you parted ways with the Mandalorian, you were stuck with it.

In a moment of hesitation, you averted your gaze as you thought your words carefully. Then, your eyes flickered to meet with, hopefully, his. "I think it's time I... leave."

His helmet tilted in obvious confusion, and though you couldn't see his expression he seemed shocked as to why you suggested such a thing already. "Why?"

You sighed, "I've finished what I wanted to complete. The Child is safe here, and... I need to return to bounty hunting, earn credits to be able to live. It's time for me to go."

"If credits is what you need, then I could—"

"No, Mando, I appreciate it," you gave him a reassuring smile before continuing. "But it's best for me to leave."

He let out a quiet sigh, "You still need to finish training the villagers."

"They know all they need to know already," you shrugged. "My work here is done. I'm no longer needed here."

"And we need your help against the raiders," his voice held a slight pleading tone that if you hadn't spent so much time with him, you wouldn't have ever been able to notice. "Stay. A little while longer."

"Is that all I am to you? Help?"

Instantly, you regretted your words and your eyes diverted back to the lake in embarrassment. Of course all you were to him was just a simple helping hand! You helped rescue The Child, helped him find a new home, helped him train the villagers. There's nothing else he thinks of you. That's all you are. Just help.

"No." You were surprised when he brought his gloved hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair out of your eyes, and couldn't help the flustered look on your face at the touch. Then, "That's not all you are to me, _Cyar'ika_."

There goes that name again. You wanted so desperately to know what it meant, but your mind was curious over something else that's been circling your thoughts for what seemed like an eternity. "Then what am I to you?" you asked quietly, turning to face him once you no longer felt the heat crawling up your cheeks.

A crash erupted, interrupting Mando just as he's opened his mouth to answer.

It came from your hut, and your heads whipped back to face it. A million scenarios whirled around your brain now, wondering what could've gone wrong. The Child had been put to sleep already, it couldn't be him. Could something, or someone, sneaked inside to harm him? Steal him? Had a bounty hunter found your location already?

Your heart dropped at the thought. Panic settled into the pit of your stomach as you both raced to the hut, your blasters secured in hand in case they were needed. Upon entering, you let out a gasp when noticing The Child wasn't in his crib. _Kriff._ What could've happened? Who took him? You hadn't heard or seen anyone enter or exit the hut, so how—

A wave of alleviation washed over you upon spotting The Child munching on some homemade sweets one of the villagers made earlier for him. The crashing noise seemed to have come from the plate which had fallen from the table onto the floor. You sighed a breath of relief and let out a short laugh.

"Kid," you brought him into your arms, and his ears flattened as you pulled him away from the goods. "Don't do that. Haven't you had enough today, hm?"

Mando let out such a quiet chuckle that if it weren't for the silence of the night, you wouldn't have heard it at all. "I thought he was completely out when I put him in the crib. Looks like he faked it."

You weren't surprised at all. The kid seemed to be getting smarter and smarter each day, and you were beginning to think he was slowly starting to understand when people speak to him.

"We're gonna have to be watching him from now on, then." You chuckled as well, placing him back in the crib and giving him a tough, yet empathetic look. "Go to sleep, alright?"

He only babbled in response, standing in his crib as he watched you and Mando now.

When you looked into the darkness of his visor again, you found yourself wanting to speak again but ended up keeping your mouth shut. Instead simply whispering a goodnight to him before heading off to prepare yourself for sleep.

Throughout the rest of the night, you found yourself restless and unable to doze off. Thoughts invaded your mind, causing you to keep awake with a thousand questions swirling around your head.

What was Mando going to say before he'd been interrupted?

What does that name, _Cyar'ika_ , even mean?

Why does he want you to stay?

Why is it so difficult to push aside these feelings?

All that forced you to remain awake whether you wanted to or not, and you couldn't do anything about it.

Though eventually, deep into the night you found yourself drifting off into sleep. But it seemed this way was even worse, because your sleep was filled with bad dreams. Nightmares of your parents, lifelessly lying on the floor and the only thing you could do was sit back and _hope._ Hope for help to come. For someone to save you. And someone did. A Jedi you'll never forget brought you in, and upon realizing your force-sensitivity, trained you to become a Jedi Knight.

You were forever thankful for them, but when you left the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars you felt like you had... failed them. Now you're guilty. You hadn't repaid them like you said you would. And just like you couldn't protect your parents, it seemed you couldn't protect your loved ones either. Once Order 66 commenced, you were sure they hadn't escaped alive. Maybe if you were there you could've done something... perhaps you could've at least helped your master.

It felt more like you were reliving terrible memories rather than a bad dream.

The following morning, Mando woke to find you were no longer in bed. Which was unusual since he would be the first one up, most of the time at least. Though it seemed you wanted to be up early for whatever reason, perhaps for a walk or something. The Child was still in his crib, now wide awake and cooed excitedly once realizing Mando had woken as well. Luckily, the kid wasn't one to wake you guys up once he awoke, instead waiting for you to wake. Patiently, he remained in his crib as Mando put on his layer of armor before bringing him into his arms and exiting the hut.

Although when during the day, Mando hadn't seen you at all anywhere, he wondered if something had gone wrong. At first, he thought you went on a short walk by yourself but when it became late afternoon he couldn't help but feel concern take over his emotions. He had a feeling you hadn't just gone out for a walk. It was time to train the villagers for the day, so you would've returned by them.

Could you have left already?

No, you couldn't have... without a goodbye, or at least a heads-up? Sure, you had told him the previous night that you wanted to leave but could it be you had actually done it? Where had you gone to? He certainly didn't know you very well, so maybe you did leave without saying anything. 

He shouldn't have let you go.

He should've told you... why couldn't he have—

"You haven't heard from her at all today?" Cara asked, breaking him out of his pensive state.

His visor turned to face her instead of the villagers in front of him who waited for their training to begin. "Last I saw her was last night."

He hoped nobody noticed the worried tone in his voice, the way his voice quivered ever so slightly at the thought of never being able to see you again.

"She could've just gone for a walk," Cara suggested.

"No," he shook his head with defeat. "She would've been back by now."

Omera stepped into the conversation, "We could send some people to scout the forest for her."

"Maybe something went wrong," Cara agreed.

"We can leave training for tomorrow, it's—"

"She left. She's not coming back."

His tone remained plain in an attempt to hide his internal emotions — sorrow. He had no idea he'd ever feel like this to see you gone. At first, he couldn't wait to deliver the Child to the client so he could get rid of you and return to the solitude of his ship. How or when these feelings even started to develop he had no clue, but it seemed they wouldn't be ceasing anytime soon.

Stepping away before either Cara or Omera could answer, he head to his hut for a breather. The training still had to continue but he felt he needed some time for himself, before he said or did anything he would regret later on. Though it seemed he already repented what he did — he didn't tell you. As he took a seat on his cot, he allowed a deep, frustrated sigh escape from his lips. He should've told you why he wanted you to stay. Maybe you would've stayed. Or perhaps that wouldn't have changed anything at all. You most likely didn't feel the same and it was evident by the way you wanted to take off and return to hunting. 

Something lightly touched his leg, causing him to flinch. When he dipped his head down, he spotted the Child, his big dark eyes staring up at him as if he knew what was going on. Maybe he did. He was bound to notice that you'd been gone the entire day. With flattened ears, the Child let out a coo and raised his arms for Mando to pick him up.

"She's gone, kid."

As Mando brought him onto his lap, he allowed him to grab onto his thumb with his miniature three-fingered hand. Somehow this comforted Mando as it did the Child as well, knowing that the both of them were shocked and upset at the news of your departure from Sorgan, from _them_. Neither of you had ever admitted it but during the time on this planet, it felt like you were becoming a family. Something definitely unexpected but welcomed, and without you it just wasn't complete.

"Omera sent a couple scouts to search the forests for her," Cara's voice filled their ears, and they both turned their attention to her at the doorway of the hut. "She wanted me to let you know."

"It's no use," Mando said. "She's no longer on this planet."

Cara stepped deeper into the hut and closer to him, "You don't know that. How do you know she hasn't been hurt, kidnapped, even killed — I don't know."

For a moment, he paused before answering. The thought of you in trouble made his heart burn and his blood boil, causing him to clench his free fist. Whoever were to leave a mark on you would surely regret it once realizing a Mandalorian was involved. But he knew the chances of that were slim — you were able to take care of yourself perfectly fine. "Because she told me she wanted to leave last night. I'm sure she's not on Sorgan anymore."

There was a silence. Then, "You love her, don't you?"

Mando scoffed, taken aback by the question. "What?"

"Spit it out, Mando," she crossed her arms. "It hasn't even been a whole rotation since she left and you're already miserable."

"I don't--" he stood from his seat, vexation noticeable in his stance as he held the Child in his arms. "I'm not miserable."

Before Cara could respond, he stepped away and left the hut. The conversation was not one he wanted to participate in any longer -- he wasn't going to answer her question.

It's not like he had the answer anyway.

The entire day he found himself gazing out towards the trees of the forest, allowing himself a tiny bit of hope. As if the scouts would return alongside you, and all that he worried about would drain away. Because what if Cara was right? What if you were suffering right now, caught by some hunter who'd located you, possibly even killed? And he's just sitting here, waiting for any news about you... he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

You were right. It was best for you to leave. Definitely a better outcome than what Mando was concerned about.

Eventually, when the day ended, the sun had fallen down the horizon and the familiar moon began appearing, he found himself resting in the same spot the two of you had spoken the previous night. The Child slept peacefully on Mando's lap as he held onto his thumb for comfort again. Still no news on the scouts, unfortunately. If they had found you then they should've returned by then. 

The sound of boots approaching him from behind alerted him, and he whirled his head back in hopes of seeing you... only for it to be Cara.

But she held something all too familiar in her hands.

"Is this what I think it is?" She questioned.

Your lightsaber.

He immediately stood, being as gentle as he could with the sleeping baby in his arms. As he grabbed it from her, he examined the familiar hilt and it was, indeed, your lightsaber. You wouldn't leave your most valuable weapon here while you head off to another planet, would you?

Dread sunk into the pit of his stomach when he realized you could very well still be on this planet, and that you had gotten injured or captured during a walk through the forests. Kriff. And to think all this time he was just sitting around while he could've been searching for you... it only made him feel even worse than he already did.

"You stole a lightsaber?"

"No." He paused for a second, knowing that you wanted this to be kept a secret between you and him. But he knew that Cara would want answers. Luckily, a close ally found out instead of someone else. "This was hers."

"She's a Jedi?"

"Used to be," he answered as he began speed-walking back to his hut while Cara trailed behind him. "Where did you find it?"

"It was in the hut, on her cot. I was looking for you and spotted it there," she answered as Mando carefully placed the Child in his crib. "I'm surprised you didn't see it."

It seemed he had gotten so involved with his emotions that he completely forgot to pay attention to his surroundings. And that could be dangerous in certain situations. It was one of the reasons why he attempted to push it away...

After hooking your lightsaber on his belt, he grabbed a blaster and placed it in his holster in case it would be needed. Then, without saying another word to Cara, he exit the hut and head on towards the woods.

"Woah, where are you going?" Cara questioned as she caught up with him from behind.

"I'm going after her," Mando replied. "She couldn't have forgotten her most important weapon if she had really left Sorgan."

"This late at night?" Cara grabbed his shoulder, forcing him around to stop walking. "Come on, Mando, be reasonable. There's other scouts searching for her, anyway. If she's out there, they are going to find her. They know the place better than you."

He shook his head and turned around to continue into the dark shadows of the trees. "More people on the job means she'll be found quicker."

Cara stood back for a moment, hesitating before letting out a sigh and deciding to help her friend in need. He was desperate to find you, and he would do anything to have you back and safe within the village, he even surprised himself with how much he had grown to care for you.

With a press of a couple buttons on his beskar vambrace, his visor activated heat vision to be able to track an footprints left behind. Maybe that's what the scouts haven't found anything — they lacked the equipment. Mando slowly felt the hope return to him at realizing he had a better chance of finding you, even though he didn't know the terrain as well as the villagers. 

Alongside Cara, they each searched the woods thoroughly for any signs of you having passed by. Anything they suspected could have been caused by a person passing by they checked out. Unfortunately , they didn't lead to you or to anything else. Neither did he find any boot tracks in the dirt.

After what seemed like forever of looking through the forest and with no luck finding a clue of where you've been, things started to seem grim again. Cara suggested multiple times to just retreat back to the village and try again tomorrow, which Mando reluctantly accepted as he cursed under his breath. 

Could it simply be that you had forgotten your lightsaber?

You would surely come back for it, would you? Maybe if you did, he could convince you to stay with him. All he could do was hope. Just hope. All the way back to the village, he _hoped_. To be able to see you again, even if you were to decide to leave anyway. At least with a goodbye, and then he'd know that you were alright. Then he could relax and calm himself. If only he could have that...

Surprisingly, when they reached the village, Omera was still awake. And when he noticed the look of delight on her face, he immediately thought the scouts had found you.

"She's here," she said with a smile. "She's in the hut. The scouts didn't find her but she returned by herself."

That was all he needed go hear before he raced back to the hut, his heart beat rapidly as if it was going to explode any minute at the thought of seeing you again, at knowing you were fine this whole time. All that fret receded and now he felt himself unwind.

He couldn't help the huge grin he held underneath his helm at entering the hut and spotting you with the Child in your arms, who was equally content to be seeing you again.

" _Cyar'ika_ ," he breathed. He was at your side in an instant, cupping your face within his own hands and gazing into the eyes he thought he'd never see again. "I thought... I thought you left."

A soft smile appeared on your lips as you stared into the black visor, bringing a free hand over one of his and lightly caressing his knuckles with your thumb. "I was thinking about it... I went for a walk, to think things thoroughly." You chuckled quietly, "I may have gotten a _little_ lost."

He gently dropped his hands from your cheeks, sliding one down to rest on your shoulder instead. "Did you come to a decision?" he asked, a hint of desire and aspiration noticeable in his voice.

You hesitated for a moment, dropping your gaze. "I don't know."

A quiet sigh escaped his lips, and without thinking he hooked his fingers underneath your chin, his thumb gently brushing just under your lips as he lifted your gaze directly towards him. There was a comfortable silence for a moment as he calculated his words carefully. Then, "You... you mean something to me, _Cyar'ika_."

A blush visibly appeared on your face. To his surprise, you respond with, "I... feel the same, Mando."

For a second he didn't respond.

"Din."

"What?"

"My name... it's Din Djarin."

" _Din_ ," you repeated, and he let out a content sigh at hearing how perfectly his name rolled off your tongue. You beamed at him, "I like it."

The Child let out a joyful babble, reminding you of his presence. When you arrived at the hut, no matter how carefully silent you tried to be, he seemed to have sensed you and woken up, cheerfully prattling at the sight of you.

Mando — well, Din now — chuckled along with you at the Child, and you allowed for Din to take him from your grasp. "He missed you," Din said as he placed him into his crib.

You smirked, and when he turned around you stepped closer until you were right in front of him. "Is he the _only_ one who missed me?"

He averted eye contact with you for a second, feeling himself growing more flustered by the second. When he looked back at you, he responded with, "Maybe." You smiled brightly at him, and he couldn't help but melt at the sight. He always adored your smile, from the first time he'd seen it back on Arvala-7 — he simply wouldn't have ever dared to admit it. "You should get some rest," he suggested, attempting to change the conversation.

You nodded, but paused and raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen my lightsaber? I've been looking for it, haven't found it anywhere."

He instantly unhooked your weapon from his belt and handed it to you, "Cara accidentally found it... sorry."

"It's fine," you said, taking it from his hands. "It's not your fault. I should've known better than to leave it lying around like that." It was definitely one more person knowing your secret than you had wanted, but at least you felt you could trust her.

He nodded, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Go to sleep," he reminded you.

You frowned, "I'm not tired."

He tilted his helmet at you, "Yes, you are. Don't think I haven't noticed the dark circles underneath your eyes."

You, in fact, were tired after the tiring day walking out in the forest... but after what occurred last night, you doubted you could get a decent sleep tonight. "I've been having... nightmares," you admitted, diverting your eyes and looking down at your toes. "They don't let me sleep."

Din completely understood you. He recalled the countless nightmares he's had, and despised the thought of you having to go through them as well. He was quiet for a second as he thought his words thoroughly. Then, "Do you want me to... stay with you?"

"I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable..."

He shook his head, "No. It's okay."

You lifted your gaze to face him, and with a nod you retreated to prepare the bed for your slumber while Din removed his beskar armor, minus the helmet. You climbed in first, allowing Din to do so second -- the cot dipped beside you as he climbed in next to you and you tried to give him some room, though there wasn't much space to do so. Your shoulders ended up pressed gently against each other, but you found it was fine, because having him so closely beside you was... comforting.

Maybe you would end up staying after all.


	11. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inevitable battle against the raiders finally arrived, and you can't help but feel worried for the safety of the others -- especially Din.

Each rotation passed by flying and were filled with training and training, until finally came the day you decided was going to the attack in the raiders. You wouldn't admit it but your nerves were getting the best of you, each night you found yourself restless and unable to sleep. But Din was always there for you, and whenever he found you weren't sleeping he'd crawl in next to you with your permission. At least it offered some consolation, feeling someone beside you who cared for you and let you know everything was going to be alright.

You hoped the villagers didn't notice your growing anxiety — if they saw that you, a highly-experienced bounty hunter and trained in battle for cycles, was _nervous_ , they would feel even more uneasy than they already did. So you knew you had to stay calm, for yourself and for the villagers. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hide your uneasiness, and all you could do was hope to get it all over with already so you could finally relax.

The sun now set under the horizon while the moon appeared, and it was time for Din and Cara to head out into the woods and towards the raiders' base. At first, you suggested to come along with them but Din wanted you to stay with the villagers and get them ready for battle. Whether there was some truth in that or if he just wanted to keep you in the safety of the village, you weren't entirely certain. And as much as you wanted to go with Din, you knew he had reason. It was best for you to stay behind with the villagers, keep them steady and prepared for the inevitable fight that was to come.

Gazing over at the villagers in the distance, you watched as they settled themselves up behind the handmade barriers. Everything seemed to be going well, you noted. Hopefully it would continue like that, but you were in doubt. Though the villagers were trained for quite some time, they still weren't fully-trained and the three of you only managed to teach them the basics to shooting, hand-to-hand combat, and spear-fighting. It was going to be a grueling attack for sure.

Footsteps from behind you filled your ears, and it wasn't long before you spotted Din in your peripheral vision beside you. His visor trailed among the many villagers who scurried around, carrying weapons, placing them down, getting into their assigned spots. "Cara and I are leaving now," Din stated, his gaze moving to you instead.

Your eyes flickered to meet with the black T-visorn of his helm, and Din could easily note the nervousness in your expression. Sometimes you wished you wore a helmet, like he did. That way you could hide any emotions you were feeling. You managed a small smile, "Be careful."

He tilted his helmet at you, "Are you worried about me?"

You could practically _hear_ the smirk on his lips.

 _He was imitating you._ Playfully shoving him, you let out a chuckle. "Maybe I am."

The way your smile slowly dropped when you remembered what was about to occur didn't go unnoticed by him. You hadn't realized how close you stood to each other. Each time you found yourselves standing this near, your heart accelerated and stomach fluttered uncontrollably. This time was no different.

When he brought his hand and placed it on the back of your neck, you found yourself frozen in place without any idea of what he was doing. But then he pulled you in closer to him, until your foreheads gently touched and you realized what this was. While you didn't know much about Mandalorian culture, you heard about these forehead touches, you had forgotten the name of them. This was his way of comforting you.

And it worked wonderfully.

The cold of his beskar helmet felt amazing against your skin; cool and soothing, letting you know everything was gonna be alright. You closed your eyes for a moment, allowing yourself this moment of serenity as you placed a hand on the cuirass on his chest. You found yourself lost for this short amount of time, like everything around your froze and it was only you and Din. The way his thumb swiped back and forth in comforting circles on your neck calmed you, and you let a soft smile escape your lips.

When you opened your eyes, you pulled away. "Go," you kept your smile, assuring him you were going to be alright. He nodded, turning to Cara and beckoning her to follow him. For a split second, you caught her eye and she smirked at you before heading off into the woods alongside Din.

You observed them from afar for as long as you could, until they were no longer in your sight. With a reluctant sigh, you turned to face the villagers, examining each and every one of them to make sure everything was perfect. The villagers seemed ready to fire and fight; those who were shooting were located at the very front of the barricades with their guns locked and loaded. You couldn't help but notice the look of fear and concern on their faces as they waited restlessly behind the barricades.

"Come on, guys, lighten up!" you commented, attempting to brighten the mood along with a chuckle. "We've prepared you the best we can for this. I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

An explosion in the distance filled your ears, causing your head to whip back and catch sight of the smoke rising up into the night sky. A pit in your stomach developed at realizing Din and Cara were likely fighting the raiders right about now; pretty soon they should return along with the AT-ST trailing behind them.

Instantly, you take action and make your way towards the villagers, crouching down behind one of the barricades. You remained alert, watching intently for any signs of Din and Cara returning. Once shooting was in hearing range, you knew they succeeded in waking the walker. Though unfortunately, as much as you attempted to look for them, the fog blocked your view and you were unable to spot anything that was too distant. All you could do was hope that neither of them had gotten hurt during the shootout.

Once the firing began getting closer, you readied your own blaster in your hand, aiming out towards the foggy trees. Just as you did, Din and Cara emerged from the fog, the sounds of machinery and stomping following closely. You sigh a great breath of relief at realizing they were alright, and once Din placed himself beside you as he knelt down behind the barricades, you placed a hand on his pauldron. "You alright?"

His visor met with your gaze for a moment, and he nodded in response.

"This is it! Cara shouted from where she crouched next to some villagers, "Once that thing steps into the pond, it's going down. Weapons ready!"

Din prepared his pulse rifle next to you, while the thudding grew louder and closer with each passing second. After a moment of anticipation, you caught sight of a pair of red eyes appear from the trees enveloped in fog. As it trampled over the many plants in its way, you were glad to perceive how close it was getting to the hole meant for it to collapse into.

_So close..._

"Just a few more steps," Din whispered.

It stopped.

There was a prolonged moment of silence as anticipation took over, wondering what would come next. It seemed like somehow it knew it was a trap, and stopped walking right in the nick of time. You and Din glanced over at each other — the way his shoulders tensed and you held a look of suspicion plastered all over your face, you both knew something was wrong. It wasn't going to be as simple as it had been planned.

Lights suddenly switched on, blinding everyone in its path and leaving everyone vulnerable to the machine's attacks. Din's gloved hand pulled yo down along with him, making sure you were safe beside him. "Get down!" he whisper-shouted at the villagers, "Get down."

It surveyed its surroundings, the illuminating light shifting slowly among the village, looking for any sign of people. You hoped it didn't spot any of you, though you weren't sure how well-concealed everybody was. You gave the hand that was gently placed on your arm a squeeze with your own fingers, assuring him it would be fine, if that were any comfort to him.

Without any warning whatsoever, it fired.

Not at you, not at Din, not at the villagers, but at one of the huts behind them. All they could do was watch in dismay as it ignited in flames, some even contemplating on whether they should run off — you hoped they wouldn't, they needed all the help they could get. In this moment you were glad you made the decision to keep the Child and the rest of the kids safe in one of the huts far from the battle.

"Hold your positions!" Cara shouted.

Finally, that seemed to bring out the klatooinians, and your stomach sank at watching them yelling and charging towards the village. Unfortunately, the AT-ST kept its place just behind the hole, and you knew there something had to be done to lure it in there or else this fight would end up horribly.

"Open fire!"

Everyone who obtained a blaster fired at the raiders who continued storming towards the village. Alongside you, Din used his pulse rifle, instantly disintegrating multiple raiders while you aimed perfectly at anyone who got too close. It seemed like everything was beginning to get better, until the walker started its firing again, shooting numerous times and aiming to kill innocent villagers.

"We gotta get that thing to step forward," Din said, and you nodded in agreement as you struggled to think of a decent plan while simultaneously shooting down any raider in your path.

"New plan," you heard Cara say as she made her way next to you and Din.

"What do you have in mind?" Din asked curiously, the both of you open for any suggestion to finally end this fight.

"Give me the pulse rifle," she replied, and Din immediately handed it over to her.

"We'll cover you," you affirmed.

As Cara dashed off towards the AT-ST, Din grabbed the blaster in his holster and continued firing besides you. You watched intently as Cara dove into the pond, dodging a shot from the machine and hiding behind a ledge of grass which kept her from view of it. She fired at it, though the pulse rifle had no effect on it.

While you continued shooting, Cara attempted blasting it yet another time. But when the AT-ST caught sight of her, she instantly ducked down as it searched around for her, firing aimlessly at the water in hopes of taking her down. For a moment, you couldn't catch a glimpse of her through all the smoke and water splashing everywhere and blocking her from view.

The raiders were getting much too close to the village now, causing Omera to send the signal for the villagers who were trained in combat and spear-fighting to make their move. You kept yourself beside Din, in case you could provide some help for Cara. Between all the chaos that ensued, you managed to catch a brief glance at her in the same spot as she hid from the machine searching to kill her.

_Just take the bait already..._

Finally, Cara successfully aimed a blast at the machine straight in the eye, causing it to power down and collapse into the hole.

"Stay here," Din told you and before you had any time to react to him, he stood and sprinted towards the fallen machinery. Remaining in place, you fired at anyone who attempted to get too close to Din as he made his way to Cara. When he reached the walker on the ground, Din placed a grav charge, activating it before watching as it blew up into a million pieces and igniting the night sky.

Din had taken cover besides Cara in the water just in the nick of time before the grav charges activated. Upon seeing the raiders retreat, you felt a wave of relief wash over you. It was _all_ over. You had done it, Din, Cara, the villagers, they had all succeeded in defeating the bothersome raiders who robbed their food source, and now they could live in complete peace.

The villagers cheered between each other, and you made your way over to Din while grinning from ear-to-ear. He had just climbed out of the pit filled with water — you imagined it must feel strange to be soaking wet while wearing full attire along with an extra layer of beskar armor. Out of pure excitement and joy, you threw your arms around his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace without thinking.

He chuckled nervously, and you could tell he slightly tensed up with your touch. "What are you doing, _Cyar'ika_?"

"It's called a hug," you stated between short laughs. "You're supposed to put your arms around me, you know."

He obliged in an instant, wrapping his arms around your middle and pulling you towards him. Though he was drenched in water and his beskar stained with carbon scoring, you didn't care and instead embraced him until you no longer felt that tension in his shoulders.

After everyone cleaned themselves up from the previous grueling battle, there was a celebration. Villagers gathered around a large fire, chattering, eating, dancing. Children giggled and hopped as they chased each other around, along with the Child who attempted to catch up with them. You and Din stood by right next to each other as you sipped on some spotchka, watching their little interactions intently.

"He'll fit in just fine here," Din said. "I'm sure of it."

You looked up at him and nodded, "Yeah. I'm gonna miss him, though."

He placed a hand on your back as you both turned your attention over to the green child who waddled around. If it weren't for him... you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't have grown so close to what used to be a quarry, a baby you were supposed to hand over to a client and leave without ever turning back. Or get so attached go someone who had recently been your sworn enemy, a Mandalorian who you would've killed at any sign of vulnerability. You hadn't realized how wrong you were before until now.

"Me too."


	12. The Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as you and Din were about to leave Sorgan, troubles and difficulties ensue, causing your decision to be questioned.

As the time passed, you and the Mandalorian decided to stay on Sorgan along with the Child — temporarily, at least. A short amount of time resting on this wonderfully peaceful planet was something the two of you sought out for, as well as deserved. That, and Din probably wouldn't have been content at watching you leave whether he admitted it or not. Plus, you wanted to spend some more time with the Child before you returned to your bounty hunting. And, you'd feel bad leaving both the Child as well as Din even though, eventually, you would inevitably have to do so.

That day was today.

After conversing with Din about it, you made the decision to depart from Sorgan and go back to hunting. After the time spent here, you would need to earn the credits needed to continue living in this grueling galaxy. So Din would drop you off wherever you'd like, and after that he'd head off to wherever he desired as well. Though that meant you'd have to stay on the low, choose bounties that weren't associated with the Guild. You were even opting to go for the illegal bounties with larger rewards for a temporary amount of time, at least until you obtain a substantial portion of credits. Unfortunately, if you were caught then that would make everything ten times worse, but it was what you had to do. And you were willing to do it if necessary.

The absence of Din's presence definitely would take a toll on you, and you weren't going to deny that you would miss him just as you would with the Child. At least you knew the Child was in a safe place, though you weren't sure what kinds of troubles Din would undoubtedly get into after you part ways. If you could, you would've stayed on the Crest along with him, though you both knew you couldn't remain together any longer. With what was growing between you... it was safer to simply disassociate yourself from him because you knew exactly what would happen if you were together longer than this. Quite frankly, you wouldn't have minded.

But it simply wasn't possible.

Not to mention the two of you didn't have time for each other at all, no time for that... well, you weren't even sure what whatever was happening between you was even called. Though what you were certain of was that was the correct decision, whether you wanted to or not. At least there was one good outcome of this — you had one less enemy to worry about, and one more friend who could help you out during difficult times. Surely, you only needed to ask and Din would be right by your side if you ever required a helping hand, and you would certainly do the same for him.

So as you spent your last few minutes with the Child along with the kids of the village, Din stood back at the hut, leaning onto the wall as he conversed with Cara who was seating next to him. The two of them watched as you interacted with the children, and he had to admit that... awoke something in him. A desire to settle down, have a family, raise kids _here_ in Sorgan. That was nearly impossible, especially with you. Not to mention he had no idea what you wanted in life, whether you sought for the same or if you prefer to continue on with how your life is now. 

Omera exit the hut as she handed out drinks, giving one to Cara and asking if Din would like one. One he politely refused, she retreated off to her duties. Over time, Din realized he suddenly felt nothing at all towards Omera. It was like all that had been miraculously erased, and now he found himself focused on... you.

It was strange, really. Months ago you would've killed each other given the chance.

"So, what happens if you take that thing off?"

Cara's voice interrupted Din's pensive state, his black visor shifting to face her.

"They come after you and kill you?"

"No," he answered, his gaze wandering back to you and the kids. "You just can't ever put it back on again."

Cara peered at him, a slight look of disbelief visible on her expression. "So you can slip off that helmet, settle down with your girl, and raise your kid sitting her, sipping spotchka?"

_His girl..._

He didn't reply.

"Did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

She raised a brow, "You know what I'm talking about."

A crackle in his voice modulator was heard as he sighed, and even without his response she knew the answer.

"You should tell her before it's too late."

He wished he could. He really did; but some things simply weren't in his reach.

Instead of replying to that, he hoped to change the conversation and speak about something you and him had decided a while ago. "You know, we raised some hell her a few weeks back. It's too much action for a backwater town like this... word travels fast. We might wanna cycle the charts and move on."

She nodded, gesturing towards the Child who waddled around playfully. "Would not wanna be the one who's gotta tell him."

"We decided we're leaving him here," Din stated. There was a moment of silence that followed before he continued, "Traveling with me, that's no life for a kid. Even with her, he wouldn't be happy. We did our job, he's safe... better chance at a life."

"It's gonna break his little heart."

She was right. The Child had gotten attached to the two of you, no doubt about it. Just that one entire rotation where you had gone missing, he was noticeably melancholic. He tried not to think about how despaired he would be at watching you two leave. It broke his heart, just as it would break the Child's heart, as well as yours. All three of you were heading towards separate paths... maybe one day you would meet again. Hopefully.

"He'll get over it," Din assured. "We all do."

The problem was, getting over you would take much longer than with the Child. It wasn't that he didn't care for him as much, but at least he knew he was safe and content on Sorgan, having the time of his life. You? He had no idea where you'd be, if you were alright, away from danger... though the life of a bounty hunter certainly brought its dangers. While you had taken care of yourself just fine before, he couldn't help but feel concern over you. He even thought about opting to offer you a spot on his ship along with him, though that wouldn't be in your best interest. He knew what the outcome would turn out to be, and it wasn't feasible.

As he watched over you from where he stood, he noted the sudden look of unease on your face. Your shoulders tensed up, body language only indicating stress as you stood previously being crouched on the ground. You made sure to keep close to the Child, hand on your blaster as your gaze zipped everywhere, frantically searching for something Din couldn't bring himself to understand. You even told the rest of the kids to go off someplace else whilst staying close to the Child protectively. There was a split second of eye contact with him, allowing him to pick up that something was wrong. That caused Din to stand up straighter before then making his way over to you.

But before he knew it, a shootout erupted. And your lightsaber ignited in your hand deflected any blasts that came near you or the Child.

Instantly, he dashed towards you and was right by your side in the blink of an eye. The village was surrounded, by multiple bounty hunters who had located you. Even Cara joined in to protect when she spotted the numerous group of hunters teamed up against you. The villagers gasped and shouted in shock, partly because of the surprise attack as well as just now realizing there was a Jedi — or ex-Jedi — in their midst without them knowing. They scrambled to get to safety and away from your blasting as you took down countless bounty hunters.

But when out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a hunter making a run for it and retreated off into the bushes, you were following suite in an instant. You couldn't allow him to escape — he knew your secret now. He had to be killed, or else he'll alert the authorities, the Guild, and the price on your head would increase rapidly. The last thing you needed was more attention on you. This was why you kept your lightsaber well-hidden, though it seemed your efforts had failed.

You trailed behind him, firing at him multiple times with your blaster raised but with no avail at hitting him. Though you couldn't tell exactly what species he was from behind, you could tell they were meant to be swift and agile as he dodged each of your blasts. Until suddenly, he hopped into some greenery and disappeared. Of course, you followed but when you searched around, you found absolutely nothing. No sign of him, no tracks, broken twigs, nothing. He left with valuable information that would no doubt cause you plenty of trouble.

Your heart sank and the blood drained out of your face at the thought of it, causing you to curse loudly to yourself as you desperately searched around for some sort of clue as to where the hunter could've possibly headed. Upon catching sight of something glowing on the ground, you made your way over to check on it and picked it up in your hand.

A tracking fob.

They were likely after the Child, and knowing that you and Din would be protecting him they came in numbers. You sighed in frustration, and in your anger you dropped the fob and harshly stepped on it, crushing it beneath the weight of your boot.

The familiar sound of armor clicking against each other filled your ears as footsteps neared, and you lift your gaze to spot Din sprinting towards you, blaster in hand and seemingly out of breath from attempting to find you. You hadn't realized how far you had gotten trying to catch the hunter when all on your mind was, regrettably, _kill_. Anything to stop your secret from spreading, though it seemed it was deemed inevitable now.

Din's visor wandered around in search for any danger nearby. When he concluded it was clear, he placed the blaster back in his holster and rushed over to you. Upon noticing your distraught expression, he gently placed both his hands on your arms, concern visible by the way he tilted his helmet. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

Shaking your head, you frowned as you looked up into the darkness of his visor. You found yourself failing to catch your breath, and you weren't sure if it was due to your panicking state or simply because of the chasing around. "He escaped, he knows-- he knows now, he's gonna tell the Guild and... and the bounty on my head's gonna increase,it's--" The quiver in your voice was noticeable as you attempted to calm yourself with no avail, a sort of dread looming over you and impossible to get rid of.

" _Cyar'ika_ ," Din breathed, bringing a hand to cup your cheek. You couldn't help but lean into his touch, allowing a deep sigh to escape your lips. Something about his voice, his touch, his _presence_ \-- it relaxed you, and your fear slowly faded away from your brain, but part of it was still there. His gloved thumb caressed your cheekbone just underneath your eye, brushing ever so lightly against the skin there. "I hate seeing you this stressed. It's gonna be okay."

"But Din—"

" _Cyare_ ," he called again, yet this time a different name similar to the other. Your mind wandered over to the significance of these names just as they did each time he called you that. "As long as you're by my side, nobody's coming near you. I promise."

You nodded just before hesitantly leaning into him, Din allowing you to place your head on his chest and wrap your arms around his waist in an embrace. Soon after he enclosed you within his own arms, pulling you impossibly close to him as he placed his chin onto the top of your head. Even through the helmet, you could hear and feel Din's breathing from underneath it. Despite your head being on solid, heavy beskar, the cold smoothness soothed. Your eyes fluttered close as you enveloped yourself in this brief blissful moment with the Mandalorian, before reluctantly pulling away from him.

"They're tracking the kid," you stated, your eyes flickering down towards the shattered fob besides your boots. "I don't think it's safe for the kid anymore."

He audibly sighed, shifting his weight as he thought of his options. "I didn't want to this but he's going to have to come with us."

"I agree," you frowned. Not because you were bringing the Child with you -- on the contrary, you enjoyed having him by your side. But now, you were taking away his new home, friends, his _happiness_. Unfortunately, there was no other choice. "He won't take it well."

"I know," Din nodded in agreement. "But we can't risk leaving him here. I'm completely sure there are countless fobs placed on him, so we better get moving now."

He beckoned for you to follow him on the trip back to the village, and on your way back you couldn't keep your mind off the hunter who'd gotten away. You couldn't stop thinking about how your secret was out now, that you were no longer secure. Not that you were before -- ever since you decided to rescue the Child from the Imperials, all that safety and security vanished. But now it's worse. Now everyone's going to think you're still a Jedi, and for that they're undoubtedly going to come at you in increased numbers. Even more knowing you've teamed up with a Mandalorian. Everything seemed to be getting worse by the second.

With a shake of your head, you attempted to get the thoughts out of your brain. Perhaps it was best to think about that later, once you were back in the ship and in hyperspace. Now you had to focus about packing everything up and return to the _Razor Crest_.

It took time to pack everything up on a speeder, but eventually all was prepared for your departure. The Child, obviously distraught and dismayed, only watched with his big black eyes while mounted on the speeder as you placed the numerous crates and boxes in their necessary places. While you felt guilty for this, you knew it was what needed to be done. You couldn't leave him here anymore. It's too dangerous now that there are tracking fobs on him, so it would be in his best interest to return to the ship and back in the security of hyperspace.

At least you could spend some more time with him, as well as with Din. There was a bright side to everything.

Plus, there might be some unspoken business between you and Din that you weren't certain would ever be resolved. Or maybe it would remain ignored, and the two of you would continue on with your life just as before.

"Are you sure you don't want an escort?" Cara asked as you and Din loaded the last of the crates onto the speeder.

"I appreciate the offer," Din replied, "but we're gonna bypass the town and head right towards the _Razor Crest_."

"It's safer that way," you added.

"Well then," she slung a bag over her shoulder, "until our paths cross." Her hand raised to shake hands with the two of you, and afterwards she walked off.

Winta, who was equally as upset as the Child, dashed over to embrace him one last time. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she said, the crack in her voice audible. The Child cooed in response, and if he could speak you were certain he'd say the same. All you could do was watch as she cried quietly before pulling away and walking off towards her mother.

That's when both you and Din hopped onto the speeder soon before it started its way down a path. The villagers who gathered around waved their goodbyes at the three of you, and you managed a soft smile at them as you watched them slowly disappear from sight. You knew you were going to miss Sorgan, and you had a feeling that this would be the last time you'd have something close to peacefulness, serenity, to a _home_. What lie ahead of you certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

And so then you embarked your rotation-long journey towards the _Razor Crest_.

As the time passed and the daylight soon turned into the darkness of night, you found yourself settling into the speeder, attempting to find some sort of comfort and perhaps even doze off. The Child was fast asleep beside you, his wrinkly, green head resting against your thigh as he let out soft snores in his slumber. Din soon moved besides you, and you could tell by the way he held his shoulders, a certain tiredness to them, that he could use some rest as well.

Yet there was something on your mind you needed to take care of first.

"Din?"

He hummed in response, his visor moving from the trees to gaze directly into your eyes.

You paused, your eyes averting his for a moment as you thought of the correct words to say. Then, "What does it mean?" You faced him directly now, "That name you call me."

He notably hesitated in answering, "What name?"

You smiled and let out a small laugh, "Come on, you know what I'm talking about."

The nervous chuckle he allowed escape was still audible even through the voice modulator of his helmet. Though you couldn't discern his face, he seemed flustered by the way he avoided eye contact with you and faced down towards the moving ground below the speeder. It was funny how you were able to read him while his expression remained hidden from sight beneath the beskar armor covering his features. It was as if you were finally beginning to understand him.

Your mouth opened to say something, but he interrupted.

"It means... _darling, sweetheart_..."

Your heart fluttered violently in your chest and you couldn't contain the growing heat crawling up your cheeks.

It was a beautiful nickname, and it was safe to say you _adore_ it.

You grinned widely while staring up at him, "All this time I thought you were... cursing me off of something."

He chuckled again, "Why would I do that?"

"Well, considering our past together..." you shrugged, "It would make sense."

"We're not enemies anymore," he said, though there was an uncertainty to his voice. "Are we?"

"Yeah, I think it's safe to that," you smirked before slowly leaning in closer to him, placing your head on his pauldron. He welcomed you in an instant, an arm wrapping around your waist to pull you closer.

" _Cyar'ika_."

"Hm?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he were to say something else. Then, "Do you know of a safe place we could head off to once we get on the Crest? Don't want to spend as much time in hyperspace like last time."

You thought for a moment, closing your eyes and enveloping yourself in his warmth. You sighed, "No. Sorry, I truly wish I did."

"It's fine. We'll work something out."

You sure as hell hoped so.


	13. The Bounty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The consequences of indulging in a dog-fight took a toll on the Razor Crest, leaving you and Din desperate to obtain the credits needed for the ship.

History was definitely repeating itself.

Following the rotations spent on the captivating, gorgeous planet of Sorgan, you were compelled to remain in the safety of hyperspace for an extended amount of time. _Again_. Only this time proved to be less difficult than it previously had been for a couple reasons.

First, the Child tolerated hanging around in the Crest a bit more than before. It seemed he had lingered around Sorgan long enough, so he was no longer sick of the ship. Well, you weren't exactly sure how long that would last. He was bound to become restless and fidgety soon enough. That placed you and Din in a tight situation -- this time, you wouldn't have the chance to land on a backwater planet such as Sorgan. You would have to keep moving, only stopping and leaving rapidly before attracting attention from other bounty hunters who certainly recognized the shiny beskar-clad Mandalorian, a green, wrinkly baby, and the supposed 'Jedi.'

Speaking of Din, he actually willingly interacted with you two more often than before. You recalled when the air between you two was tense before landing on Sorgan, and how he wouldn't even bother to speak with you about anything unless it was necessary. Now there was a certain comfortableness that you couldn't explain, and it seemed like with each passing second all three of you were drifting closer together. Sometimes you wondered what would've happened if you hadn't decided to land on Sorgan, whether you would've worked things out or if the opposite would occur.

Now you were getting the Child to go to sleep -- well, _trying_ to get the Child to go to sleep. But unfortunately, despite your countless attempts at rocking him back and forth, even opting to humming him to sleep, he just wouldn't seem to doze off.

_Stubborn little bean._

_Been hanging around with Din too much._

"Woah-- _kriff_ ," you grunt when you're sent crashing into one of the hull's walls as the ship turned sharply, causing you to grip tightly onto one of the crates for support. The baby in your arms yelped as his small, green fingers tighten onto the fabric of your shirt, equally alarmed as you upon feeling the _Razor Crest_ rapidly increase speed. And the sound of gunships blasting signaled trouble had inevitably found you.

 _Damn_. Only a brief amount of time out of hyperspace to conserve fuel and a hunter already managed to locate the ship. Luckily, Din had insisted he remained in the cockpit in case this were to occur -- and you were glad he did, or else a hunter would've caught you by surprise and caused further damage to the ship.

You raced -- more like _stumbled_ \-- to the cockpit's ladder, climbing up with one hand while carrying the Child in the other. " _Kriff_ , Din, a warning would've been nice," you uttered to yourself as you struggled to find a good footing on the ladder. Peeking your head out to peer over at Din, you observed his extremely preoccupied state and chose to keep quiet, allowing him to focus on ridding the bounty hunter.

" _Hand over the Child, Mando_."

You lifted yourself up, stepping into the cockpit and taking a seat in one of the passenger seats, keeping the Child close to you in case Din were to make any crazy moves. Which, he undoubtedly would.

The hunter wasn't in sight or anywhere ahead, but with the way Din continued with his precise, sudden movements you concluded that the ship was being tailgated. No matter Din's many attempts to swerve himself out of the hunter's path, they remained directly behind all while firing and even _hitting_ the ship multiple times. At one point, electric sparks ignited from within the cockpit, causing you to flinch and cover the Child even further to protect him. His ears flattened as he picked up on the serious situation, one of his three-fingered hands gripping tightly onto one of your fingers in search of some sort of comfort.

" _I might let you live._ "

The hunter's masculine voice continued, laced with a threatening tone that made you certain he would even destroy the ship, killing the three of you if needed.

Din's visor whipped around rapidly, trailing among the control panel as he attempted to veer the ship away with no avail. His gloved hands reached for different levers, switches, buttons — he was handling it greater than you could ever, despite the intense pressure weighing down on him. Not only did he have to get you and himself out of this, but also had a baby's life on the line to worry about.

" _Din_ ," your voice dripping with dreadful concern called out for him.

His visor remained ahead on the dark void of outer space, "I know, just— don't worry. I always get us out alright, don't I?"

You let out a huff of breath, and almost jump out of your seat when an alarm blared, indicating one of the two main thrusters was damaged from the attack. You trusted Din to get you out of this but under these circumstances, things were seeming pretty dire.

"Hold on."

You barely had time to react before the ship barrel-rolled, causing you to strengthening your grip on the Child who was having a little too much fun with Din's frequent tricks. _Kriff_ , this ship is in urgent need of seatbelts, _especially_ with a baby.

The hunter behind fired rapidly, damaging the ship even further than it already was. You could only hope he didn't destroy the other remaining thruster or else you'd truly be done for.

" _I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold_."

 _Oh, no_.

 _Terrible move, hunter_.

Din's shoulders visibly tensed and you could tell he was _pissed_ at his stolen words by the way he aggressively slammed on a lever with all his force, causing the ship to come to a sudden and immediate stop. The hunter, unable to slow down quick enough due to his high, dog-fighting speeds, attempts to divert his ship from slamming into the _Razor_ _Crest_. He barely succeeded when he scraped his ship along the _Crest_ , but hey — at least the hunter was now in front of you, and fortunately, in aim.

"That's _my_ line."

Din's voice was a low, menacing growl — and with a pull of a trigger, the hunter ahead of you was annihilated in the blink of an eye.

_Damn hot._

_That's your Mandalorian._

His helmet turned to face you and the baby on your lap. "Told you I'd get us out of it."

That _smirk_ was practically audible, even through the deep distortion of his modulator. You leaned back into your seat, a sigh of relief escaping your lips. "Never doubted you."

"You two okay?" His head tilted in concern as his gaze remained on you.

"We're fine," you responded, sitting up straighter when the ship's lights flickered off, and the sound of the engine revving no longer filled your ears. You raised a brow, "Not sure the ship is, though."

Din returned to the control panel, flipping a bunch of switches in hopes of getting the damaged ship back up and running. And yet another problem: the ship was losing fuel rapidly due to the destruction caused. _Just what you needed_.

The Child giggled in your lap, lighting up the mood a bit in the darkness that enfolded you . But that didn't take your mind off the worry of aimlessly floating out in dead-open space, vulnerable to any other bounty hunters who managed to pinpoint your location.

"I'll get the back-up power," you suggested, standing from your seat along with the baby still in your grasp. You fumbled a bit — more like a lot — while attempting to switch on the emergency power all in the blackness that caused your visibility to fail you. But thankfully, you managed to find the right switch, lights switching on and engines vibrating beneath you as the ship powered itself back up. It surely wouldn't last long but it'll get you somewhere.

Even if it meant you had to land on a planet.

"I'm assuming we're gonna stop for repairs?" You questioned with an exasperated sigh, the fret audible in your voice.

"Yes," he replied, urging the failing ship forward as best as he could. "It'll be a quick stop, though. Won't be long before another hunter finds us."

A planet appeared not too far in the distance, dusty and deserted — similar to Arvala. You pondered over your thoughts, figuring out why it seemed so familiar. You placed yourself back into the passenger seat, inspecting the land ahead the best you could. It was on the tip of your tongue, yet you couldn't quite recall its name.

"What planet is this?"

"Tatooine." Through the vocodor of his helm, you recognized a certain disappointment in his voice — and you knew exactly why.

While you had never been to Tatooine in the past, you heard plenty stories about this dustball of a planet — none of them positive experiences from the people who informed you about it. "Tatooine?" You repeated, "Are you sure there aren't any... better choices around here?"

"There is," he switched on the communicator on the control panel, radio crackling as it connected with someone down below on Tatooine. "But they're all too distant. Unless you wanna be floating around for a while, I'd say we have no other choice."

" _This is Mos Eisley Tower. We're tracking you. Head over to bay three-five, over."_

"Copy that. Locked in for three-five."

The Child had fallen limp into your arms all of a sudden, his little head dropping back against your belly as his dark eyes fluttered closed. _It's about time_. A gentle smile crossed your lips at the sight, and in your peripheral vision you caught a glimpse of a visor trained on you and the Child. You lifted your gaze to meet with Din's, and by the way he released the tension in his shoulders, a sensation trickled in the back of your mind that he held the same soft grin behind the helm.

His attention returned ahead as the _Crest_ soared — well, _struggled_ to soar — through the barren, arid planet before eventually landing in its designated hangar. Along with the sleeping baby you held close, you head down the ladder into the hull of the ship, Din trailing closely behind. After placing him in his cot and securely shutting the compartment, you turned to Din who stood in front of the lowering ramp.

Your eyes swiftly examined the hangar, observing the complete disarray the hangar's condition was in — random tools, crates, wires, barrels, plenty of unknown objects scattered around. Definitely one of the most untidiest hangars you've ever visited. Pit droids chattered as they collected their tools to begin their appointed work — repair the utterly damaged gunship.

But when a blaster fired at them, they screamed and shrunk away into their protective shelves in fear of....

Of Din?

"Wha— Din, _why_?"

"I hate droids," was the mutter you received in response before he placed his blaster away and continued down the ramp.

" _Someone's_ grumpy," you whispered with a shake of your head. You had no clue of this hatred for droids he had, and for a moment you wondered what could've caused it until a squeaky, high-pitched voice called out, interrupting your thoughts as you stepped off the ship along Din.

"Hey! _Hey_!"

The droids took this as their chance to dash off, away from the intimidating Mandalorian who threatened seconds previously. A short lady emerging from within the hangar caught your attention, her crazy brown hair sticking out in odd places as she stormed towards you. "You damage one of my droids, you'll pay for it!"

Din lifted a finger at the droids who scurried off in fear of him, "Just keep them away from my ship."

"Yeah? You think that's a good idea, do ya? Let's look at your ship," her eyes flickered towards the _Crest_ in the back. As she examined it with a couple bangs on the metal, raising different tools to inspect it, she blabbered on about the mess the ship was in.

_Says the woman who has the filthy, cluttered-up landing bay._

"How did you even land?" She questioned after completing her examination, stepping towards you and the Mandalorian. "That's gonna set you back."

Din reached for his pockets, handing her a portion of payment, "I've got five-hundred Imperial credits."

"That's all you got?"

Now it was your turn to check your pockets, your mind recollecting your encounter on Corellia when you had gathered the remaining of your credits. Your hands dug into each of your pockets, your brows creasing when you couldn't find anything. You never took them out for safety reasons — they couldn't have simply disappeared, right?

"Give me a sec." You returned to the ship in search of your vanished credits, rummaging through the multiple crates and even checking around your makeshift cot in case you left them there. A moments of probing around passed before you eventually believed something had occurred to them without your consent.

"You found them?"

The rasp of Din's voice filled your ears, causing you to lift your gaze from where you frantically scoured around for any signs of your lost credits. "No. I'm not sure what happened," you replied, stepping closer to the fully-armored Mandalorian with a vexed sigh. With a shrug, you added, "I've never taken them out of my pockets and I can't find them anywhere on the ship. I'm beginning to think I lost them, maybe? Possibly back on Sorgan, or even on Corellia when I was chased by the hunters." You paused for a moment as you stared his black visor, guilt taking over your emotions. "I'm sorry, Din."

He shook his head in response, "Don't be, _Cyar'ika_. I'll find the credits needed."

"What—" Just as he began to spun around to leave, you gripped his hand to stop him from leaving. Regret took over when you realized you may have taken a bit too far, but when he held onto your fingers, intertwining them even further, you visibly relaxed. "Don't tell me you're going bounty hunting."

"It's the only possible solution," he replied, causing you to shake your head and instantly rejecting the idea. "We need the credits for repairs, or else we're stuck here."

"Here? On Tatooine?" The look of concern on your expression didn't go unnoticed by him as you continued. "Din, I've never exactly visited but I've heard plenty enough stories about this place. Hunting here could get us in more trouble than we're already in."

His thumb lightly caressing your knuckles provided a slight distraction from the problem and supplying somewhat a bit of comfort, though your mind still raced with the _thousands_ of forms this little hunting trip could horribly awry. "I have to. You know there's no other choice," his voice quiet, barely audible in an attempt to sooth you from your worries. "It'll be fine, _Cyar'ika_. I promise." 

A frustrated huff of breath broke out from your lips, realizing he was correct — it was either you remain here, stuck forever or you take the risk of hunting for much-needed credits.

"Fine. _But_ —," a smirk appeared on your face, knowing you're about to say something Din wouldn't take a liking towards. "—I'm coming."

"No."

"Yes."

"You're not."

"Come on—"

" _No_."

" _Din_."

"Tatooine's dangerous—."

"Yeah, _I know_. But I've been on countless hunts and look at me—" you gestured towards yourself, "—I'm completely fine. Besides, if I get hurt I'll deal with it. Walk it off like I've always done."

With the recognized look of determination on your face, he knew you weren't giving up anytime soon. "Fine. But you stay here temporarily, at least until I find a bounty for us."

Well, that's better than nothing.

At least you'd get a taste of bounty hunting again. _Maker_ , you hadn't realized how much you missed that rush of adrenaline flowing through your veins.

Satisfied with the decision made, you stepped off the ramp alongside Din towards the lady who waited impatiently outside.

"We'll get you your money," Din stated.

"Hmm, I've heard that before..."

"Just remember—"

"Yeah, no droids," she interrupted. "I heard ya. Don't have to say it _twice_."

With a small nod towards your direction, he dismissed himself before turning to leave the ship's hangar.

" _Womp rat_."

You couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.

"What's up with him and droids?" The woman asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

A look of surprise mixed with confusion appeared on your face as you watched the Mandalorian exit the landing bay, "I have no clue, to be honest."

"Well—" she brought out a dirtied hand, "—might as well introduce myself while we wait for your Mandalorian. I'm Peli!"

 _And there goes someone else calling him your Mandalorian_.

_Which he isn't, of course._

Gripping her hand tightly with a shake, you stated your name.

Just as Peli opened her mouth to reply, the familiar shrieking coming from none other than the Child filled your ears. The pit droids imitated the sound, looking curiously at the ship until Peli shushed them. "Quick," she whispered to them. "Grab my blaster rifle."

Your eyes widened at her request. "Woah, that won't be needed," you assured her. "Just wait here, I'll be back."

When you reentered the Crest, you perceived the Child had managed to hop out of the compartment he slept in, now waddling on the floor on his way to the ramp. His ears raised at the sight of you, and immediately his expression lightened up as he lifted his little green arms at you. You grunted as you brought him into your arms, "What are you doing up, little guy? You barely got any sleep. Miss me?"

The Child cooed in response to your question, and as you exit the ship you let out a barely audible sigh. You would've preferred he remained asleep longer, that way he'd he out of the way in case danger were to capture you. But it seemed it wasn't possible with him at the moment.

When Peli caught sight of the green, wrinkly baby, she lit up in an instant. "Aww, look at you!" She exclaimed, her hands raising for him though her eyes met with yours for permission. With a nod, she took the Child into her own arms as he blabbered incoherently at her. "He is the cutest little thing! You and your Mando made this?"

"Ah, no, no... he's not my—"

"I wonder how he fits them big ol' ears in that helmet of his," she commented as she stroked the baby's long ears. He giggled, causing her to coo at him even more.

"He's... he's not my son," you explained. "The Mandalorian and I are just searching around, a home for him."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense." Her attention directed towards the Child yet again, before she demanded one of her droids to fetch something to eat for the baby.

With a sigh, you stood back and allowed Peli her time with the baby. All you could do was hope Din would return alright, along with a bounty that could get you off this terrible, crime-ridden planet without any trouble whatsoever. The chances of that... were _slim_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't mentioned this yet, but a few weeks ago i released another din x reader fic. i usually take turns releasing new chapters, so if you'd like to read something else while you're waiting for narudar then you could do that. feel free to leave feedback, i'd appreciate it. it's titled "bombshell" and should be visible on my page. :)


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